Panting For "300"!

[Proto-type 0]

This Friday, the 9th of March, is another momentous day in the life of graphic novelist extraordinaire Frank Miller.

 

Those of you who enjoyed Sin City and have never read "300" owe yourselves a look at the book to drink in the lush illustrations before you see them transmuted to the silver screen.

 

As faithful as Robert Rodriguez, Zach Snyder has accomplished the uncanny; whole pages infused with a 'celluloid' soul. They're alive, re-animated and awaiting your eyes this Friday.

 

 

May our voices whisper to you from the ageless stones...that here, by Spartan law, we lie.

[MrPsychic 1]

I'm so looking forward to this movie, it just looks absolutely insane. I've seen a few sneak peeks, and from what I saw, it looks absolutely beautiful and good acting.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named 2]

I'm more interested in the story than the visuals, but the visuals do look impressive.

[Kor37 9]

Is this a cartoon movie or live action?

[He Who Shall Not Be Named 2]

Is this a cartoon movie or live action?

 

I think it is like the 2nd Matrix movie, a little of both.

[Tina 0]

GERRY BUTLER =HOOOOT!

[Proto-type 0]

Is this a cartoon movie or live action?

 

Live action based on a graphic novel. The link I posted has all the pertinent details.

[LoveMalePecs1 0]

I'm also panting and eager to see the movie "300" all the overload of testerone in the film and the great outfits just wearing Sandals-Helmet-Shield and some have Capes on over the Male ("Bare Torsos") haven't seen a Ancient War Epic in such amazing Special effects puts my DVD Of Troy out to pasture in a manner of speaking.

[Proto-type 0]

I'm also panting and eager to see the movie "300" all the overload of testerone in the film and the great outfits just wearing Sandals-Helmet-Shield and some have Capes on over the Male ("Bare Torsos") haven't seen a Ancient War Epic in such amazing Special effects puts my DVD Of Troy out to pasture in a manner of speaking.

 

Did you check out the photo gallery (86 pics!) at the link I posted? The second picture is definitely your cup of tea. ^_~

 

I agree.....leave Troy gathering moss as We march* with the 300.

 

:P

 

 

 

 

*first words of the graphic novel - for the yet uninitiated

Edited March 8, 2007 by Proto-type

[Validus 0]

I'm thinking that 300 will probably be the best historical epic since Ridley Scott's masterpiece, Kingdom of Heaven. I'd recommend to anyone who saw "Kingdom" and didn't like it to check out the special extended version which adds about an hour and makes for a much fuller viewing experience.

 

300 versus 1,000,000? Kirk would've liked those odds. :P

Edited March 8, 2007 by Validus

[Proto-type 0]

In my hot, little hand I hold the golden ticket to tonight's midnight show of 300!

 

I raise my glass....for now.....and will pump myself up with espresso later...ish.

 

:P

[Proto-type 0]

Though it makes me cringe to say it, I can only give my golden-ticketed 300 the Bronze.

 

The visuals were stunning and did Frank Miller justice. The acute passion portrayed between Gerard Butler's Leonidas and his queen, Lena Headey, was more than believable. And the pecs on every single Spartan, especially Butler, were worth the price of admission. But, all things considered, there was something missing.

 

Maybe it was the way Scottish-born Butler lapsed into a wee bit of a Scottish 'brogue' now and again that made his character feel like a character. For a split second William Wallace would enter stage left and the gears would grind to a nanosecond's halt. The funny thing is that there were plenty of moments when he was credible and you wanted to pick up any sword and shield within reach and march to certain death alongside him.

 

A quandary of a film. A compelling story yet, somehow, Xerxes was reminiscent of Ra from Stargate and you had to remind yourself that this was rooted in historical fact. I guess I've seen too many steles of what real Persian kings looked like to believe the bejeweled and bedecked Xerxes. But, it was faithful to Miller's interpretation, I'll give it that.

 

I'm a real fan of 'Kill Bill' blood spatter so the testosterone overdose was a walk in the park for me. Sorry, but the sound of a sword or spear scqunching (yes, I said that) into human flesh has always gotten me off.

 

I also liked the added Thelma and Louise twist that Snyder inserted regarding the queen and the snake of a 'senator' that was trying to rig the council against her. What woman wouldn't love to see a rapist get his just desserts? ^_~

 

All in all, a fairly faithful rendition yet, while the running narrative works well in the graphic novel, I wonder of it didn't detract from the power of the film itself. After all, a picture really can be worth a thousand words.

 

Is this picture worth Miller's thousand words....I urge you to see it and judge for yourself.

Edited March 9, 2007 by Proto-type

[Validus 0]

Alright-

 

I just saw 300, and here is what I thought...

 

First of all it is a very enjoyable film, and there is much here to praise. Visually it is indeed a feast for the eyes. However, there are a few points I must touch upon that would've enabled me to enjoy the film more had they been addressed in the pre-production process.

 

I found the use of narration in the film rather annoying. Narration is fine if it is used to make the audience privy to information that it might otherwise not have...but in 300 this is never the case. Too often the narrator tells us things either we've just see...are just seeing...or will have seen in 3-6 seconds. If all the narration were stripped from this film we would then be left with the narrative which would have been more then enough.

 

We, the audience, are asked to sympathize with the Spartans who we are told are fighting for a noble cause...to preserve their culture and lands. The problem is that the culture of the Spartans is so brutally inhuman that one cannot really mourn for its eventual loss many centuries later. The Spartans treated children worse then the average Jerry Springer guest, and their fanaticism is no different from the fanaticism of the Persians. King Leonidas is certainly an able soldier, which is just a subtle way of saying that he is better at killing his enemies then his enemies are at killing him...but he is no Henry the 5th. He does not value freedom as the film suggests...he's a King and no one voted for him. The ancients did not value personnal freedom the way we do now since the rise of the Enlightenment. They valued loyalty and bravery, and this the Spartans certainly had in spades...but it is difficult for us moderns to look at them as being any different then the Japanese who crashed their fighters into our ships and are even to this day ridiculed for their mindlessness.

 

"300" isn't really about ideals, but about how men can fight bravely in the face of impossible odds. It is a strange obsession in warlike cultures that we often seem more impressed with great failures then great successes. Americans love to romanticise Pearl Harbor and the British never tire of writing about the Charge of the light brigade and both were miserable failures that resulted in much pointless loss of life. Watching 300 made me wonder if to a certain extent the Iraqis see us as we the audience see the Persians...a vast unthinking throng with endless numbers and endless hubris.

 

It is noble to die for a good cause, but I feel in my heart that it is above all better to live for a good cause.

[Vulcan_lover 1]

I'm so excited for this!! Sin City is my favorite movie...I even have a poster of Hartigan right above my bed. Frank Miller is amazing.

[MrPsychic 1]

I saw the movie this evening, and to tell you the truth, it lived up to what I expected. I have never read the graphic novel, but I intend to now. I've seen Frank Miller's work done on the big screen with Sin City and that was all that I needed to be interested in this film. Honestly, if you want an indepth approach about humanity, go elsewhere. This movie is about the few standing up to the many. I absolutely loved 300, and the audience did as well. There was a scene with the Queen, which I won't spoil, that actually had audience members cheering. I also thought it was laid out nicely, and I did like the narrator, he added a little bit more to the mix, almost like he's reading the graphic novel while you're watching it. The fight scenes were amazing, the characters moving. I would highly recommend it.

[TransporterMalfunction 1]

I'm really looking forward to this as I had read up on the Battle of Thermopylae a few years ago and always thought it a wonderful historical moment. I understand it isn't to be entirely accurate, but then I wouldn't expect that. I'm just looking forward to a (hopefully) good film.

[Kor37 9]

My son and I saw it last week. Its an excellent movie!

[Gummy 0]

My son and I saw it last week. Its an excellent movie!

The college kids over at another board have been going nuts over it.

I think that I'll wait for it to come to PPV.