300

[DarkMaster]

Anyone go see it? It rocked my socks off.


http://www.joblo.com/big-movie-images/pic300-8.jpg
http://www.joblo.com/big-movie-images/300-31.jpg
http://www.joblo.com/big-movie-images/300-19.jpg

[Happydude]

my friend's parents saw it the other day...they said it sucked...but they're parents, what do they know...i want to see it.

[BlueFire]

I'm going to see it soon, possibly tonight. From the critics' reviews I've read... you will either like it or hate it. They said it's definitely a "guy film".

I'm pretty excited to see it, though.

[Fox 6]

I want to see this too. Looks like a good flick.

[GameMaster]

Its received as much hype as Snakes on a Plane and garnered mediocre reviews. I think its probably a blood bath with little substance.

[Ginkasa]

I was supposed to see it when we screened the movie, but they moved it from Thursday to Wednesday and forgot to tell me :(


*shrugs and walks away*

[Dyne]

I was going to go see it with Dylflon tonight but I realized I had a criminology paper due on monday, and I'm going to Black Sabbath tomorrow night.

Curses and Blast!

[Typhoid]

Heaven and Hell*

[Dyne]

Heaven and Hell*

Pff, it's still Iommi and Butler. They'll always be Black Sabbath.

[Typhoid]

Yeah, but it's Dio, so...I don't know. It's just not the same.


I was so trying to score tickets to that, because seeing them, and Megadeth on the same bill would fill my pants.

[Dylflon]

So good.

Holy bitch.

Those were some statuesque dudes. Damn.

Great movie. Everything about it is good. Cinematography, effects, story, action, nudity, acting, sheer manliness.

Highly recommended. Also, it'll be good for girls because there's a literal plethora of the most well toned dudes ever for them to ogle.

[Acebot44]

Saw it and really enjoyed it. Watched the midnight showing Thursday night and the whole theater was hyped.

Hmm, I wonder when "300" Workout and Diet routines will start taking over the web.

[Angrist]

I'll probably see this movie with some friends in cinema, might be worth the ticket.

[Jason1]

Am I the only one that has no desire whatsoever to see this movie?

[manasecret]

You have no desire to see it? I'm not very hyped about it and never have been, the whole thing looked silly to me since I saw the first trailer. But I do have the desire to see it still, if just for the over-the-top action. After seeing the Rottentomatoes score, I have a little less desire but still some nonetheless.

EDIT: Quote from the New York Post review of 300 --

Keeping in mind Slate's Mickey Kaus' Hitler Rule -- never compare anything to Hitler -- it isn't a stretch to imagine Adolf's boys at a 300 screening, heil-fiving each other throughout and then lining up to see it again.

Hahaha sometimes I love reviewers.

[Perfect Stu]

my parents actually saw it...my mom said it was 'pretty good but too violent' and my dad said he 'liked it, some really great action scenes'

[MrCoffee]

It was effing amazing!!!111
I saw it opening night took me awhile to convince them my ID was real but they let me and I covered for a bunch of my friends too...anyway it was amazing it was like...a two hour cinematical trailer...every part of the movie sent shivers up my spine, it made the hairs stand on the back of my neck like when i saw the World of warcraft intro cinematics!

300 -> MUST SEE!!!

[DarkMaster]

Just read this review: http://movies.ign.com/articles/763/763580p1.html

[Joeiss]

Amazing movie. I saw it the other night. Spartans are the definition of heart.

[DeathsHand]

Am I the only one that has no desire whatsoever to see this movie?

I thought it looked like a big dumb action movie that would appeal to Myspace's young hip crowd (they sure were plugging the movie quite a bit)...

Then I found out it was based on another Frank Miller 'graphic novel' (Sin City was fun) and directed by the guy who did the Dawn of the Dead remake (one of the few decent remakes) and I became slightly more intrigued...

But I'm not too huge on brainless over-the-top action... Soo...
Maybe I'll see it eventually...

[DarkMaster]

Here's a clip of one of the action sequences, likely to put hair on your chest while watching.

http://www.moviewalah.com/news-gossip/what2watch4/2007/03/06/watch-more-blood-from-300


Also, don't assume that just because the movie features some incredible violence and action that it completely lacks any form of intelligence. There's a well written and real entertaining story to be seen.

[Dylflon]

At no point in time did I find the movie to be dumb.

[Angrist]

How violent exactly is it? Can you give me a comparison?

[MrCoffee]

god of war violent?

[DarkMaster]

How violent exactly is it? Can you give me a comparison?
Have you seen Sin City?

[TheSlyMoogle]

At one point there were so many horses. And I was looking over at my friend Kyle and I was like "OMG KYLE! THERE ARE SO MANY HORSES!"

"WHAT IS YOUR PROFESSION?!"

[Happydude]

At one point there were so many horses. And I was looking over at my friend Kyle and I was like "OMG KYLE! THERE ARE SO MANY HORSES!"

"WHAT IS YOUR PROFESSION?!"
that made absolutely no sense...

[Dylflon]

that made absolutely no sense...

Does too. The what is your profession thing was an awesome quote from the movie.

[Happydude]

oh...damn it! i want to watch it! maybe this coming weekend...

[Angrist]

No I didn't see Sin City or play God of War, so I still have no idea how violent. Worse than... LotR, Troy, Gladiator etc?

[Professor S]

If you haven;t seen the movie yet, do yourself a favor and don't do any reserach into Sparta or the battle itself before you go. The film is very good (not excellent, missing an epic quality seen in films like Braveheart and Troy) but its historical quality is skaky at best.

***Historical Spoiler***









Throughout the movie, Leonidas (who was a serious badass in reality) keeps talking about an age of freedom and even the ending suggests that Spartans and Greeks in general created the idea of freedom. The problem is that Sparta was a slave state. They had LOTS of slaves, and in fact they were the only Greek city-state that enslaved other greeks (Messenia), and thats why other city-states disliked the Spartans so much. That and Spartan rutinely kicked their collective asses and subjugated them for hundreds of years until they finally fell to Thebes, victims of the groudbreaking Echelon formation.

So when they talked about Freedom, it really took me out of the movie. Too much suspension of disbelief.







***end historical spoiler***

[Xantar]

If you want to read a really hilarious review of the movie, check out CHUD's (http://www.chud.com/index.php?type=reviews&id=9207). He spends some seven or eight paragraphs talking about how the movie is a right wing screed about why we need to go to war. Now don't get the wrong idea, he's not criticizing the movie for that reason. He's not one of those people complaining that the movie is a propaganda piece engineered to get us all behind the Iraq war or something. But, well...he thinks the movie supports the war in Iraq. Seriously, do you think the moviemakers and Frank Miller were really trying to be that deep?

As for me, the movie was all right. It had a fairly realistic depiction of phalanx tactics and then ruined the effect by having everybody break formation and go running off on their own. I don't even think the graphic novel had very much of that going on.

What also wasn't in the graphic novel were a lot of scenes at home. I understand and appreciate why they were there, but they tended to slow the proceedings down a bit.

Great movie. Everything about it is good. Cinematography, effects, story, action, nudity, acting, sheer manliness.

Acting? What acting? Don't get me wrong, the actors were fine in their roles. But there wasn't really much "acting" required of them. The best thing I could say for Gerard Butler (Leonidas) is that he avoided going so far over the top as to be cartoonish. And that's worthy of praise. But please, let's not start giving the man acting awards just yet.

[The Germanator]

I saw this on opening night and was somewhat displeased. Not that I was expecting anything groundbreaking in the plot or acting category, I just thought that Sin City was a better movie both visually and action-wise than this movie was. Still worth the price of admission, but not as great as I thought it could have been.

[Professor S]

Acting? What acting? Don't get me wrong, the actors were fine in their roles. But there wasn't really much "acting" required of them. The best thing I could say for Gerard Butler (Leonidas) is that he avoided going so far over the top as to be cartoonish. And that's worthy of praise. But please, let's not start giving the man acting awards just yet.

I thought Gerard Butler was absolutely fantastic as Leonidas. Over the top? Of course. He was playing a legendary character; a mythic character. He actually lent some humanity to the character that most history books describe as a cold, calculating, ruthless and brilliant man. But he still had to be MORE than just a man in his portrayal. You also have to think about the true quotes that come from history and not just the pen of Frank Miller. "fight on the shade"? A real quote. "Eat well because tonight we dine in Hell"? A real quote. "Come home with this shield or upon it"? A real quote. Butler didn't overact... Spartans did.

As for the phalanx breaking, that was going to happen in a movie like this. Phalanx fighting, while brutally effective in its day, was short of visually exhilirating. My biggest complaint is with the depiction of Spartan marriage in the film. Its so far off its hilarious. Spartan marriage involved the "wife" being raped late at night in a tent. True, she was expecting the rape, but it was still forced intercourse nontheless. The men and women almost never met socially, but instead only to procreate.

This was a culture run like a colony of ants. No pleasure other than that of the pride in your people. Life as a cog in a very powerful and brutal machine.

[DeathsHand]

This was a culture run like a colony of ants.

Manly ants...
Manly ants... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spartan_pederasty)

[Xantar]

I thought Gerard Butler was absolutely fantastic as Leonidas.

Yes, he was, but maybe I didn't make my point clear. Butler was called on to be iconic and larger than life without going so far over the top that we lost sight of him. In that role, he did very well. But there was no range demanded of him. He had two modes: intense and roaring. And there's nothing wrong with that because that's exactly what the movie needed from him, and he did it well. I just don't think that really counts as great acting. So when I ask, "Where's the acting?" I don't mean to say the acting was bad. I just mean that for the most part there literally isn't much acting going on there because 300 isn't that kind of movie.

Besides, I'm not even sure why you're arguing with me. I said he avoided going cartoonishly over the top. You know, the opposite of actually going over the top?

Also, you missed a quote. The historical Leonidas really did say, "Come get them" when asked to throw down his weapons. ;)

[DarkMaster]

I heard that there weren't any golem/crab mutants and ghost warriors back then. Does that mean 300 is historically innacurate? Can anyone confirm this? I think I might not like this movie anymore if I knew some of it wasn't real...

[Angrist]

So how violent is it! Dawn of the Deadish?

[Teuthida]

I just saw. It was...pretty. Ended with Enya so I'm satisfied.


So how violent is it!
For a movie about a war, I didn't find it too violent...if by violent you mean gory...since a lot of people are bound to die in such a movie. A few slow motion decapitations at its goriest I think.

[Angrist]

Yeah I mean gory. Thanks.

[Professor S]

I heard that there weren't any golem/crab mutants and ghost warriors back then. Does that mean 300 is historically innacurate? Can anyone confirm this? I think I might not like this movie anymore if I knew some of it wasn't real...

Hardy har har... Once again, I enjoyed the movie, but I'm also a history enthusiast and the story of 300 doesn't need much embellishment. In fact, this story is my favorite historical moment of all time and what inspired me to want to be a teacher, so I could relate such amazing moments in human history.

Thats where a movie such as this frustrates me. Most people don;t take the time to educate themselves on the historical portions of historical fiction... so they believe the fiction is the truth. My nightmare is people thinking that Xerxes' Immortals really had boar tusks and scales...

I think a historially accurate potrayal of this battle and story would not only be just as entertaining, but enlightening and show Spartans for both their strengths and their weaknesses, which makes them more human and therefore more relatable to us all.

And Xantar, I never "argue" with you. We simply have very passionate discussions.

[Typhoid]

I havent seen it, but I dont know why people would take it literally. I mean...give the general populace a little more credit than that.


I look at the movie from a point of a word of mouth story just passed on through generations, and things become skewed. A "And it was as if they had tusks" could be changed to "they had tusks" to make it more entertaining.

Then again, I dont know, I havent seen it. But that's just my opinion.

[Professor S]

[QUOTE=Typhoid;207946]I havent seen it, but I dont know why people would take it literally. I mean...give the general populace a little more credit than that.[quote]

Are we both talking about the same general populace? The one I'm talking about have proven themselves to be knee-jerk, naive, giant tongued mongoloids who believe anything they see on a movie screen. "An Inconvenient Truth" being a perfect example. "New York City under 20 feet of water" and "warriors with scales and tusks" both have about the same amount of scientific backing and believability, so why would I think anything else about the general populace?

*best segway to a political conversation EVER*

[Xantar]

"An Inconvenient Truth" being a perfect example. "New York City under 20 feet of water" and "warriors with scales and tusks" both have about the same amount of scientific backing and believability

Or for that matter, "Saddam has weapons of mass destruction."

*runs away*

:D

[Angrist]

Hey, Xantar posts!

[manasecret]

Segway is a two-wheeled machine that has balance issues when the battery runs low.

[Professor S]

Segway is a two-wheeled machine that has balance issues when the battery runs low.

Ok, fine. I went phonetic with it. Sue me, word nazi. :D

[Typhoid]

Are we both talking about the same general populace? The one I'm talking about have proven themselves to be knee-jerk, naive, giant tongued mongoloids who believe anything they see on a movie screen. "An Inconvenient Truth" being a perfect example. "New York City under 20 feet of water" and "warriors with scales and tusks" both have about the same amount of scientific backing and believability, so why would I think anything else about the general populace?

*best segway to a political conversation EVER*

Oh, you're talking about Americans.;)

[Professor S]

Oh, you're talking about Americans.;)

You know what? While living in Canada I did notice that Canadians are a bit more thoughtful* than Americans in making their political decisions. In America political discussion has degraded to taubts of "You're a terrorist!" and "Your'e a racist, evil conservative!". Those that honor intellectual honesty and objective discussion need not apply, or you'll be branded a bigot, hatemonger, commie or terrorist-lover.

My politics may not go hand in hand with a lot of Canadians, but at least your leaders seem to be knowledgeable and well read. I think this stems from a Parliamentary form of government that makes you confront other ideas and defend your own with intelligent vigor.



*Well, outside of Quebec they are more thoughtful, but thats a given. Quebecers are inbred jackasses with severe penis envy.

[The Duggler]

*Well, outside of Quebec they are more thoughtful, but thats a given. Quebecers are inbred jackasses with severe penis envy.

Care to explain that comment?

[Dylflon]

Are we both talking about the same general populace? The one I'm talking about have proven themselves to be knee-jerk, naive, giant tongued mongoloids who believe anything they see on a movie screen. "An Inconvenient Truth" being a perfect example. "New York City under 20 feet of water" and "warriors with scales and tusks" both have about the same amount of scientific backing and believability, so why would I think anything else about the general populace?

*best segway to a political conversation EVER*

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/6954/gloriousja0.jpg

[Professor S]

Care to explain that comment?

Well I didn't think I was being all that cryptic, but sure:

Quebecers are so caught up in being Fake French that they tend to interbreed with one another in their own little Fake French universe at the Fake French capital of Montreal. Their gene-pool has become so small and polluted that all of Quebec's combined IQ equals that of Corky from Life Goes On. This is the reason that such idiotic notions like cessession can become common thought. Also, its kind of funny/stupid how they pretend to hate Americans while they consume American culture like an alcoholic throws back a flask of vodka.

Have I crystalized my opinion a little better for you?

Oh wait, Quebec does have one thing going for it: Strip clubs. Super Sex OWNS. You go ride that national strip club pride while you **** your sister.







Wow, I am in a rare mood thi morning. :D

[Typhoid]

Well I didn't think I was being all that cryptic, but sure:

Quebecers are so caught up in being Fake French that they tend to interbreed with one another in their own little Fake French universe at the Fake French capital of Montreal.

Like how Americans are caught up in fake English that they tend to interbreed with one another in their own little fake English universe?

[Professor S]

Like how Americans are caught up in fake English that they tend to interbreed with one another in their own little fake English universe?

Not talking about language, Ty, I'm talking about culture. Quebecers WISH they were French and European. Its not just the language. Americans don't act like the British or wish they were British. Americans love being Americans (in general) and you don't see New York trying to cecede from the union. Relativistic argumnts don't work when you miss the point of the argument.

Besides, I'm not talking about Hockey and Beer Canadians... I'm talking about Baguette and Attitude Canadians in one area of the country. I've stated many times that I loved my stay in the Toronto area. I don't know why you would defend those people who obvious dislike the rest of you enough to want to remove your shared nationality.

[Typhoid]

The amount of Quebecers who want to seperate is far greater than those who call themselves Canadian.

I dont know where in Quebec you visited, but you must have got a **** draw, because you might have stumbled into one of the only seperatist cities in the province.

And of course they're proud of who they are, and what they are. They're a french speaking province, among an entire continent dedicated to English. They're the one difference about all of North America. I see it as no different as everything else. Culture is what you make of it, not what you take away from it.

[Teuthida]

and you don't see New York trying to cecede from the union.

Although a lot of New Yorkers don't really consider it to be part of the U.S.

[manasecret]

The amount of Quebecers who want to seperate is far greater than those who call themselves Canadian.

I dont know where in Quebec you visited, but you must have got a **** draw, because you might have stumbled into one of the only seperatist cities in the province.

Those two paragraphs seem to contradict each other.

And of course they're proud of who they are, and what they are. They're a french speaking province, among an entire continent dedicated to English. They're the one difference about all of North America. I see it as no different as everything else. Culture is what you make of it, not what you take away from it.

I really, really want to agree with you here, because I think what you're saying is what I think. But please clarify what it is you're saying. Culture is what you make of it, not what you take away from it isn't exactly clear.

[KillerGremlin]

The cinematography was quite nice. The picture was incredibly bleak, like Sin City, with the minimalist backdrops, the color choice, and simple sets. Snyder’s style of gore is pretty decent; it splatters and has a certain thickness to it. It’s nice blood. As for the movie itself, it was pretty good. I enjoyed Sin City more when I think about it. But 300 had its moments, and I was rooting for those Spartans till the end. Given the current state of opening movies this weekend, 300 isn’t a bad choice to go see.

[Angrist]

KillerGremlin, please stay on topic, we're talking about Quebec here.

[Professor S]

And of course they're proud of who they are, and what they are. They're a french speaking province, among an entire continent dedicated to English. They're the one difference about all of North America. I see it as no different as everything else. Culture is what you make of it, not what you take away from it.

Quebec speaks french, but exactly what language are you writing in? Once again, I'm not talking about the language... I'm talking about how Quebecers think they're european and look down on those around them, especially to the south. As for what my test group is, I was in Montreal and I've been there many time. If Quebecers aren't like them, then Quebec needs to replace it.

And yes, they have every right to be proud of who they are, and I have every right to think they're stuck up, inbred, rude and lacking in any sort of redeemable personality traits.

KillerGremlin, please stay on topic, we're talking about Quebec here.

:drevil:

[Dylflon]

KillerGremlin, please stay on topic, we're talking about Quebec here.

Haha. Nice, Angrist.

Also to the Prof: All the french Canadians I've met have been pretty awesome and the females wildly attractive. My girlfriend also drove through there and said that the French Canadians she met were by and large pretty good people.

*shrug*

Matter of opinion I suppose.

[Typhoid]

Matter of opinion I suppose.

Then again the french widely and openly hate the Americans, and we're not American, which can be why none of us have ever had problems with them.



So yeah...300...

[Dylflon]

So yeah...300...

Good movie.

[Professor S]

I wonder if they like 300 in Quebec? They might think its a symbol of American military and consumer empiricism and therefore hate it on principle....

****in' FROGS.














By the way, you can all thank me for the 5 page thread later. At least it was something to talk about. And yes, I am devious and evil.

[Dylflon]

I had a discussion with one of my arts professors about this film. He was troubled that this kind of movie would be released at this specific time in history with the current world events that are going on and whatnot.

I think his specific problem was he thought the Spartans were supposed to represent America (since this is an American film I guess?) fighting the evil brown guys and that this was something released to encourage young men to enlist.

I totally don't see it that way. Considering the Persians are an imperialist force, the Americans could be just as easily likened to them.

[Professor S]

Well, pretty much any villian in any movie can be likened to the U.S. by those who see America as an evil force in the world. It depends on your world view. I'm more dissdappointed to see professors using a movie depicting events that happened thousands of years ago as an excuse to influence others his or her own opinion.

Honestly, education is dead and indoctrination has replaced it.

[Happydude]

300 was an awesome movie! i loved all the backgrounds! i wonder what the producer guy...whatever his name was will do next...in any case, i will see it.

[DarkMaster]

The director is doing The Watchmen next, which is supposedly a pretty good comic book/graphic novel.

[Dylflon]

Well, pretty much any villian in any movie can be likened to the U.S. by those who see America as an evil force in the world. It depends on your world view. I'm more dissdappointed to see professors using a movie depicting events that happened thousands of years ago as an excuse to influence others his or her own opinion.

Honestly, education is dead and indoctrination has replaced it.

It was a conversation, not him preaching.

[DeathsHand]

i wonder what the producer guy...whatever his name was will do next...

Put money up for a project and either drive it into the ground with his own terrible "It's my money, you do it my way" decisions, or not do a thing and take the credit if it wins for Best Picture.

[GameMaster]

I've seen the ending about 300 times now. Its so epic and heart-wrenching.

[Teuthida]

The director is doing The Watchmen next, which is supposedly a pretty good comic book/graphic novel.

I cannot see anyone making it into a movie without destroying the material. Perhaps if Alan Moore worked closely with the director like Frank Miller does...but he really does not want this movie made. And can you blame him? All the movie adaptations of his books have been crap.

Terry Gilliam eventually abandoned the project due to the funding problems, also adding the concern that Watchmen would have been unfilmable. "Reducing [the story] to a two or two-and-a-half hour film... seemed to me to take away the essence of what Watchmen is about," Gilliam said.

After Warner Bros. dropped the project, producer Lawrence Gordon acquired the rights to Watchmen and invited Gilliam back to helm the film. Gilliam declined, believing that the comic book would be better directed as a five-hour miniseries.

In October 2001, Gordon and Universal Studios signed screenwriter David Hayter to write and direct Watchmen in a "seven-figure deal". Hayter, being familiar with the project's long history, said, "[Watchmen] was considered too dark, too complex, too 'smart.' But the world has changed [after 9/11]. I think that the new global climate has finally caught up with the vision that Alan Moore had in 1986. It is the perfect time to make this movie."
Man, if they add some 9/11 twist to it...will be mighty pissed. The added America stuff in regard to the current war in V for Vendetta left a bad taste in my mouth.

Rorshach was stuck into a frame of the R-rated trailer for 300:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/82/Rorshach_300.jpg

[Professor S]

I'm looking forward to The Watchmen. If anyone can pull it off it's Hayter, as he is a very good script writer. As for the 9/11 mentions, I think he was more comparing the events in the book with the events that took place on 9/11, rather than adding a modern twist. Hayter was saying that the world is ready for a major film about the subject matter because of 9/11, IMO.

Also, I like the idea of 300's director helming the project, but not because of 300. He directed the Dawn of the Dead remake and it was quite good. That proved he could handle multiple characters and storylines at once without having the entire movie suffer. That makes me more confident than anything in 300.

[DarkMaster]

If I recall correctly, Moore said that Hayter's screenplay of The Watchmen was the closest it'd probably ever get to being a decent transition from book to film, but he'd still never go see the movie and does not want it made. I think they ditched Hayter's screenplay too, unless Snyder is working from it now, I dunno.


Fun fact: David Hayter is Solid Snake... :sneaky:

[Fox 6]

So, its out on DVD. Anyone pick it up yet. I got the special addition yesterday.


THIS IS SPARTA!!!!

[Bond]

I've been thinking of buying it on HD-DVD, but I don't feel like spending $28 on it because it's the queer HD-DVD/DVD combo.

[gekko]

It's also got more features than either the special edition DVD or the Blu-ray, by a long shot. Probably has the most features of any HD DVD, ever.