Crowe, Scott, reteam for solid adventure in stirring ‘Robin Hood’
Forget about those men in tights. Ridley Scott puts a gritty, topical spin on the romantic folk tale of the merry men of the greenwood in Robin Hood. It’s not exactly a revisionist look at the familiar story, which, after all, has gone through centuries of permutations and updates, from heroic ballad to kids’ classic to Hollywood and TV. Rather, Scott and scriptwriter Brian Helgeland craft an origin story about how failed leadership, ruinous taxation, and everlasting foreign wars turn a decent man into a rebel outlaw crusading for justice.

It’s hard to imagine what the good intentions were behind The Good Heart. There must have been some. This hybrid little oddity plays out as a stylized parable from an intensely personal viewpoint, that of Paris-born, Denmark-educated Icelandic filmmaker Dagur Kari. Shot in (American) English with an international cast, the film is set in an unidentified modern city and populated by characters who are metaphorical archetypes rather than recognizable humans.

A community at a crossroads
Recent violence and attacks on downtown have done more than torn through the fabric of our historically peaceful community; it has left many residents simply asking, “What happened to Santa Cruz I know?” In search of easy answers we often look toward short-term policy changes (more police overtime) or easy scapegoats (elected officials). But a micro approach, while satiating the initial visceral need to do something, really does little to address the underlying issue. That issue, simply stated, is that our community is no longer the community we knew.

Films This Week
Check out the movies playing around town.
With reviews and trailers.

GTv hits the streets to see if locals can take a compliment–or three.

Researchers use biotechnology to identify foods made from endangered species
The burgeoning global meat trade has taken its toll on the Kouilou region of the Congo. A stretch of unprotected rainforest supplies a clandestine gorilla meat market, and last fall, investigators revealed that Kouilou gorillas are poached at a rate of two per week.

“The population of gorilla that we located is in sharp decline, and will probably become extinct in a few years if we do not stop that trend,” says Pierre Fidenci, president of the San Francisco-based Endangered Species International, which conducted the investigation.

Plus Letters to Good Times
Unsustainable Meat Economy
So, How Do We Generate Energy?
Riot Round-up
Holiday Deadlines
On May 18, there was AMGEN fever as the world-famous Tour of California ushered in thousands of visitors for Stage 3 of the tour. This week, we get a reprieve before Memorial Day weekend arrives and we all officially dive into summer 2010. Food choices shift during the summer months—all the more reason to pay attention to what kinds of foods you are eating. It’s the topic of the week as writer Amy Coombs takes readers on a memorable journey that explores the rare meat trades, specifically targeting the fishing industry and the problem of overfishing. Here, with the help of local environmental giants, we learn more about the plight of the bluefin tuna and other endangered fish, and why now, more than ever, it’s vital to know where your fish came from, and what fish you are consuming. Take note of all the discoveries and send us your thoughts at le*****@gt******.com.

Kirby Scudder and Mark Halfmoon plan to discover what inspires Californians
With the economy still shot, people feeling grumpy, and everyone complaining all the time, you’d think Californians were an unhappy lot. Not so. There are plenty of people in our golden state who continue to find the West Coast an inspired place. And two local men are about to hit the road on a cinematic adventure to prove that even though complaints abound, we’re living in a great state, and perhaps it’s time to remember that.

Reader’s Request: I have a little jiggle around the middle. Can you suggest some exercises that I could do to tone up my abs?

Ah, yes, the love handles. I think most people feel as though they could tighten and tone that area. And as we gain weight around our middle, our rate for type 2 diabetes and other weight-onset diseases increase. It’s important to work on this area for our health reasons alone, not including the “muffin-top” that can pop up over our jeans.

Plus Upcoming Wine Events
La Honda Winery specializes in producing small lots of distinctive wines from carefully managed vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains and throughout California. Winemaker Ken Wornick is truly dedicated to his craft – working hard to produce his award-winning wines. The 2006 Cabernet/Sangiovese is a blend of 57 percent Cab and 43 percent Sagiovese—all from grapes grown in the La Honda vineyard on the “stunning” Modica family ranch. When you open up a bottle of this superb wine, you’ll get a touch of spice mixed with coastal fog. At only 12.5 percent alcohol, it’s a very food-friendly wine for taking on picnics or to drink on a summer’s day.