Posted on 03/12/2007 11:12:42 AM PDT by Dr._Joseph_Warren
Like watching a blood-drunk barbarian on a rampage, 300, like its title, drops the pretense of historyit purports to dramatize the ancient battle of Thermopylae between Spartans and Persiansand offers what can only be described as a mongrel mix of audio-visual fury. 300 is History hijacked by Horror.
A band of Spartan men go to war led by a king (Gerard Butler) married to a queen (Lena Headey) who insulted the enemy that marches upon their civilization, which is depicted as a haven for hateful half-savages. It's easier to follow who's who and what's what than one might expect, yet everything is hyper-exaggerated. 300 is submerged in style over substance.
The king kills the insolent enemy messenger, consults deformed mystics and their undulating nymph slave, mounts his wife every which way and sets out with his grunting group of soldiers to take a stand against the oncoming Persian zombies. It takes almost an hour before the bloodletting begins. The script is filled with wordstyranny, freedom, reasonthat go completely unsupported and have no meaning. The Spartans, portrayed as snarling animals seeking hostility for its own sake, claim superiority over mysticism, but cartoonish mystics inflict real damage, thereby negating the power of reason over faith.
But with a military philosophythe Spartan king regrets that he has so few lives to sacrificeresembling the Bush administration's foreign policy, the mighty Spartans lack the mind to match the muscle.
If sacrifice is noble, why bother to fightwhy not hurry up and die? And whyoh, never mind, this latest message of Doomsday nihilism, which sidesteps history, serves one purpose: to validate chronic fear.
(Excerpt) Read more at boxofficemojo.com ...
The "Americanized version" was given by the commander of the Battling Bastards of Bastogne, General McAuliffe.
To wit: "Nuts!"
He was known to be "succinct." ;-o)
I saw it. I recommend it
The winning side is the side that doesn't run away first. The great Chinese general Sun Tsu essentially said that the true target of the great general is to destroy the enemy's willingness to fight (Something the Communist side paid attention to during the Vietnam war)
Sounds like a must-see.
Remember Flight 93. Let's Roll
Thank You. I saw the movie last night. Great movie, one of the better ones I've seen in a while. I NEVER look to Hollywood for anything other than "entertainment". Since when has it been Hollywoood's responsibility to teach anyone anything?
Thank you. I did see Timeline. Loved it.
I'll have to look for Reign of Fire.
Did you notice David Bowie in The Prestige? I can't decide if that is a candidate for DVD. I enjoyed figuring out the tricks, don't know if it would be good in repeated viewings. And I'm so over Scarlet Johanson!
Freedom isn't free........ the fight is that of FREE MEN against tyrants and those that are EVIL....
300 makes legalistic, boy loving talkers look like wussies....
yep, this liberal "gets it".... bwahahahahahahahaa...
being a man and defending your country is cool...... being a pussy sucks....yep, that's about right....
Scarlet Johansen is OK, but I don't like that pouty look. She reminds me of Angeline Jolie. I did like Scarlet in The Island, with Ewan McGregor and Sean Bean, though. Look for that one when you're looking for Reign of Fire.
Do you have Netflix or one of the other DVD rental programs? We've been Netflix members since back in 2000. We enjoy watching movies with our kids, so we joined so we'd have a wide variety of films from which to choose. I think I have about 130 in my queue right now. LOL!
We are netflix members. With 6 in the house, though, I don't have much say in what we see usually. LOL
I didn't know Bowie would be in Prestige and had fun identifying him. It took me awhile. :-)
I guessed the ending right before they showed it. It was a very fun movie.
I have Scarlet in The Girl With the Pearl Earring. She's good in that. Loved The Island, but we love everything with Ewan! ;-)
You forgot to mention the lesson in your commentary.
The Greeks despite being a bunch of city states DID in fact have a NATIONAL identity united by common language and religion.
From the Macedonians to the Cretans there was one language. (real Macedonia, not the Mashal Tito slavic propaganda fake from yougoslavia) When you read the acient inscriptions in King Philip's tomb (where alexander's wife and child are burried) and the other insciptions in Ancient Olympia, Delphi, and the Palace ruins around the Hellenic ruins, it is all a common thread.
To deny a common Greek Identity percieved in the Greek city states is akin to trying to deny Arkansas is part of the USA. (no matter how hard we try)
in short, just as english should unite the USA, Greek united the Greeks.
That's a good point about the common language being a unifying force among the ancient Greeks. I think most of the city states referred to themselves as being "Hellenes", even while they were killing each other in their internal squabbling. They seemed to form their ad hoc alliances quickly and effectively, and having the common language and identify must have played a big part in that.
There was a reason why Leonidas chose fathers. They knew that they were all that stood between the Persians and their kids
"About Scott Holleran
Freelance journalist Scott Holleran (scottholleran@mac.com) writes about the war, medicine and movies. Holleran publishes a war newsletter, THE CONCORD CRIER, serves as editorial director for Americans for Free Choice in Medicine (AFCM) and writes about movies for Box Office Mojo."
Seems like Bush is 'ruining' Hollywood nowadays.
Ruined V for Vendetta
Ruined Star Wars Ep 3
Ruined Tears of the Sun
that's just off the top of my head.
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