Just returned from V for Vendetta, which Mrs. Peculiar and I both enjoyed quite a bit. It's good fun, "Penny for the Guy" is an excellent line of pre-combat superhero banter, and lots of British public edifices explode in time with Tchaikovsky. It sure does make one wish to cry revolution upon the fascist, dissent-crushing cabals currently destroying the world's liberties, by whom I mean, of course, yes you gussed it, Tony Blair and the E.U.

While we're on the subject, here's how all you Roman Catholics out there can join in the festivities next Guy Fawkes' Night:

Why not get the baking enthusiasts in your family (i.e. the girls) to make a House of Parliament out of gingerbread? Find pictures of these exquisite gothic buildings on the Internet, and make the best copy you can, lovingly adding details with icing, perhaps even forming a tiny King James I out of marzipan. Unveil it at the outset of tonight's family dinner-or at a gathering of friends. As dinner unfolds, tell the story of Guy Fawkes and his friends—then for dessert take the gingerbread parliament outside, stuff it with M-80 fireworks, and blow it all to hell.

Returning to the movie, I did note a rather remarkable piece of product placement. Should we all take Dell at their word and henceforth consider them the official computer of dystopian fascist regimes?