300

diane o'thirst · Post by **diane o'thirst** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 6:01 pm

Seen it yet?

Back in the day, my friends and I used to go to big, well-anticipated openings in costume. Not necessarily on-topic, but costumed attendees always make it an event. Lately, there haven't been a lot of films that are appropriate for this...maybe Pan's Labyrinth (paint eyes on your palms) and PotC and Harry Potter. 300 is a costumable movie.

It's big, there's not a lot of brain-candy unless your visual centres count, it's bombastic, it starts out at 300 miles per hour and never lets up, through the end creds. It's an experience and even here is flakey, sleepy, rainy EugeneOregon, it's a fever.

Coupled with this tour-de-force, there's a new 15-stadium cineplex that opened this week and they've devoted five theatres to showing just this one movie. Thank the Gods, but it's still sold out through the weekend.

My friend and I grabbed another friend and we went to the 7:45 showing on Friday night. Dear Sweet Apollo Lycaeus, the place was pumped, packed with I think is the whole Heathen contingent of Eugene's body politic. I saw warrior braids and tattoos everywhere.

I won't throw any spoilers your way but when the movie was over I cut loose with the wolf howl I'd been saving all night and it was a solid eight hours afterward before I decompressed enough to sleep.

I'm taking friends to it Monday (if we can get tickets) and use that as a reference-watching and committing-to-memory viewing, then I'm costuming for a third go-round. Can't wait!!!

helitack · Post by **helitack** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 6:02 pm

What is it?

BAS · Post by **BAS** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 7:18 pm

300 is, IIRC, 300 Greeks holding off a whole ****load of Persians. It is also, I think, an animated film definitely NOT meant for children.

I want to go see, but am not certain when I will get to. Maybe I will sneak off and see it sometime this week....?

B.

helitack · Post by **helitack** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 7:19 pm

Then no, thank you...

Blackbird · Post by **Blackbird** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 8:15 pm

SO GOOD. I saw it opening night with my younger brother and his six billion teenaged friends. So that part was not-so-good. But the movie was superb. I was quite shocked by the audience, as well. There is a reason why I only go to the theatre for huge event (like HP or LOTR etc). Everytime I go, someone brings their bratty kid, or talks the entire time, or kicks my seat. The last did indeed happen, but luckily my seat was reclining so whenever I felt a kick, I just slammed it back into her knees.

I was happily surprised that no one was rude or talky.

Also my ticket was comp'ed, so that made my experience a lot better

Post by **mdmf007** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 8:56 pm

Just saw the 1pm show today - good movie, wouldnt call it great. Expected more. The dramatic speeches had no lead into, didnt build drama enough,

still scores an 8.5 though. for effects, and battle scenes.

later

Isotopia · Post by **Isotopia** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 9:54 pm

The black, brooding sky motif only works for so long.

Predictable plot. Recycled lines. I wanted to like it but honestly thought it sucked. Definitely not worth the $10 a pop they want at theaters here in the bay area.

Save your money folks.

diane o'thirst · Post by **diane o'thirst** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 11:16 pm

Well, I went in knowing that this wouldn't be The Fountain. If I wanted cerebral, political relevance and character development, I knew where to go for that. But, occasionally, a shot of uber-adrenaline is a good thing.

I got caught up in the energy and went with it. The stylization made up for predictable story. You want to see a pretty slaughter, the coolest adversaries since the Kurgin and a truly, despicably hissable bad guy who gets a wonderful denouement? 300 will take care of ya.

And I'd disagree on not taking kids. I don't think it'd be okay to take a pre-pubescent but I think a teenager could handle it. If they had cinematic art and tech thirty years ago and someone produced this, I'd have gotten a kick out of it. Honestly, it's so operatic, there's no way it'd traumatize anything 13 and up unless they were cloistered, inbred and homeschooled Xtians.

Toolmaker · Post by **Toolmaker** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 11:47 pm

Isotopia wrote:The black, brooding sky motif only works for so long.

Predictable plot. Recycled lines. I wanted to like it but honestly thought it sucked. Definitely not worth the $10 a pop they want at theaters here in the bay area.

Save your money folks.

What was said up ^

The CO · Post by **The CO** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 11:58 am

My only major complaint: They make a big deal out of phalanx tactics & using the terrain to there advantage, and then fail to do so.

Apollonaris Zeus · Post by **Apollonaris Zeus** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 3:46 pm

Oh, what can I say?

If you were looking for a dramatic documentary on ancient greek life, this ain't the history channel. In that sense, it sucked.

But, if you were looking for a tolken like ring of the gourds, yep, this is your movie- with all the northern british Island (including Ireland) accents I was expecting a Hobit to jump out at anytime- close enough though a hunchback did make an appearance. Including a rinoceros, three elephants, a giant and other bizzare things.

Several people, including I did have a good laugh.

Fantasy all the way. Bad costumes, no knowledge of the historical facts.

The only fact of the movie: Yes, 300 spartans died, The rest poor speculation on the unknown.

The run down of bad interpretation:

Right at the start- short hair and the skinhead boys. Before the day of fighting, the real spartans were calmly brushing the long hair of their comrades who were also their lovers. Sex with women was only to repopulate the warrior army and country. A Spartan man would sneak into his house in the middle of the night, fuck his wife in the dark and get back to his real love of his life- his fighting comrade man. You might say that the reason they fought so hard was because they were fighting their lovers fighting next to them- a fact overlook in troy as well.

Oh and so white for dark tanning mediterreans who would be as dark skinned as the persians- who were more black african, ninjas, and arab.

Sadly not a Jew could be seen, but, they were there in the thousands fighting on Xerxes side against the greeks, that wouldn't fly with a jewish president of time warner, the producers including jewish director, Zack Snyder. But, how mennacing are Hasidtic jews anyway. Hey he even did a great job slandering the greek's religion turning the priests into lecherous monsters, the wife of leonidas into a slut and the oracle into a drug out whore. The bible toting christain right will love this movies as well for its religous misinterpretations.

And what Greek would ever fucking say, "Today we will die in Hell!"

Of course they would die in Hell because they were in Hellas, you fucking Heteros!

Oh did I mention the armor- what ever happened to the breastplates that was a greek invention- no can't have them because we can't show off the bulging Pecs and abdominal muscles.

This movie sucked! Save your coinage BM for some real fantasy- like BM!

AIIZ

Blackbird · Post by **Blackbird** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 4:16 pm

Apollonaris Zeus wrote: I was expecting a Hobit to jump out at anytime- close enough though a hunchback did make an appearance. Including a rinoceros, three elephants, a giant and other bizzare things.

Dude, before he was introduced, Mr. Hunchback(I forgot his name, sorry. Something with a T I think...) just reminded me of Smeagol. Creepy guy following them around. Even when it's pointed out he's following them, the response is very similar to that in LOTR "He's been following us since we left Sparta".

And what Greek would ever fucking say, "Today we will die in Hell!"

He said "dine".

Blackbird · Post by **Blackbird** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 4:19 pm

Oh yeah, and also 300 is based much much more on Frank Miller's graphic novel than real life. In said graphic novel, the Spartans do in fact have bare chests and everything is super-dramatic. Such is the nature of this sort of work. Take or leave it. The creators admit to changing the formations of the phalanx to make it "look cool"er. Silly, yes. But I really hope no one was going into this movie expecting an accurate historical account.

Badger · Post by **Badger** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 4:19 pm

Dude, before he was introduced, Mr. Hunchback(I forgot his name, sorry. Something with a T I think...) just reminded me of Smeagol. Creepy guy following them around. Even when it's pointed out he's following them, the response is very similar to that in Lord of the Rings "He's been following us since we left Sparta".

Sounds like Kinetic when he gets into his manic, online stalking mode.

Apollonaris Zeus · Post by **Apollonaris Zeus** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 4:38 pm

Blackbird wrote:
Apollonaris Zeus wrote: And what Greek would ever fucking say, "Today we will die in Hell!"
He said "dine".

Blackbird, you got me rolling on the floor, if your right, greek diners will never be the same!

Tonite we Dine in Hell!

Hoooraaahhhhh!

AIIZ

Blackbird · Post by **Blackbird** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 4:59 pm

Apollonaris Zeus wrote:
Blackbird wrote:
Apollonaris Zeus wrote: And what Greek would ever fucking say, "Today we will die in Hell!"
He said "dine".
Blackbird, you got me rolling on the floor, if your right, greek diners will never be the same!

Tonite we Dine in Hell!

Hoooraaahhhhh!

AIIZ

Uhm, well Maybe I'm mistaken, but it makes a lot more sense that way. And I also think it was "tonight" not today. or maybe "tomorrow". Dang I really need to watch this again.

No one dies in hell. (where would the go, detroit? aha. south park reference -_-) What he said was "enjoy your breakfast, for tonight we dine in hell"

I looked it up, by the way. So now I know I'm right.

Post by **mdmf007** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 5:35 pm

Well the original line was -

"tonight, after the battle and all of us have been slain we will eat in the underworld in the presence of the unholy one"

Dude shortened it too "tonight we dine in hell"

Of couse when I think of it, this battle is 500 years before christ was born??? and isnt "hell" a christian theory?

anyways - I have no clue. I did like the chicks nipples though.

later

Apollonaris Zeus · Post by **Apollonaris Zeus** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 5:51 pm

Yes, hell is a christianization of the word Hellas and the underworld of Hades. Hades was not hell. No flames! No Devils! nothing unholy! Where the dead go and were a shadow of their former selfs. You won't find any references to the judeo/christian/muslim way of demeanor and villianization to the beliefs of others.

We the Hellene do believe that in your next life you will be a shadow of your former self in a metaphorical way that your spirit or soul still exists and continues.

Apollonaris Zeus wrote: they were fighting their lovers fighting next to them

Oops, just a correction. I meant to type in "with" between "fighting" and "lovers"!

Not to say that they never fought with their lovers as lover sometime do.

And blackbird, yes, maybe they did follow the fictionalized novel, but this historical event needs no fiction to enhance it. It is beyond the comprehension of any person living or dead and only led to many people leaving the theater disapointed and upset.

I believe that the turnout was because of the historical aspect and knew nothing about the over-fictionalized Egar Rice Burroughization that frank miller wrote.

AIIZ

Dork · Post by **Dork** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 9:59 pm

I suspect most people going to see it neither knew nor cared about the true details of what happened.

It was a propaganda film through and through. The battle of the great 300, as passed down from the lone survivor. The massive waves of weak soldiers crushed by the mighty Spartans, the betrayal of the outcast (proving why such lesser Spartans are normally killed in the first place) the 8 foot tall effeminate god-king and the monsters he commanded.

I find it funny how some people are calling this a justification for our continued participation in the Iraq war. The only reason I can think that might be true is the heros were white and many of the bad guys were wearing turbans. If anything, WE are the persians asking for them to kneel.

K-mom · Post by **K-mom** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 10:08 pm

Although its obviously impossible for me to speak for every person whos out there going to see this movie, overall I think you're wrong. The 'turnout' for this movie is because of the cinematic, comic-style aspect of the filmmaking, not the accurate historical recreation. How many people actually went to see that Colin Farrell/Oliver Stone film? I honestly can't remember the name of it, nor can I be bothered to google it. That says it all.

There's enough of that going on in the real world, right now. The majority of people are going to the theatre and surrendering their $$ to ESCAPE.
(and let it be know that I don't totally agree with this form of escapism - but I understand how it can be necessary...)

K-mom · Post by **K-mom** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 10:09 pm

btw - Dork, I was saying AIIZ was wrong, not you - you just happened to post while I was writing

OregonRed · Post by **OregonRed** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 10:10 pm

I confess... I enjoyed it. But for your average heterosexual woman 300 sweaty, well built men in loin-cloths is always a receipe for wonderful eye-candy.

I found it visaully appealing, but thought that the fellow playing Xerxes was a bit... well... Fabulous (for lack of a better word) to have a voice that deep and booming.

All in all, it was fun, but then again, I didn't go in expecting great cinema.

Dork · Post by **Dork** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 11:33 pm

K-mom wrote:btw - Dork, I was saying AIIZ was wrong, not you - you just happened to post while I was writing

No problem. There's a good chance we were both wrong.

diane o'thirst · Post by **diane o'thirst** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 1:55 am

Actually, if we're going to do the bullshit game of politicizing the movie, I saw Cheney all over Theron. Fucking war profiteer.

Come on, how could you NOT love the scene where Gorgas told off the Persian emissary and later on shanked Theron's ass and threw his words back in his face? Right, AIIZ, tell me you didn't clap at that.

Okay, so I did the recon run tonight and paid attention to the costume details. I'll be working on my Spartan werewolf costume through the week and wearing it to a THIRD showing this weekend.

CapSmashy · Post by **CapSmashy** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 5:59 pm

Historical accuracy? Gimme a freakin break.

If I want a dull documentary...hell, even an exciting one... full of expert citations rattling on about the digs of this so and so found here substantiating that so and so and this person's claims, I'd watch the History Channel. And actually, I do watch it quite often.

However, when I want 20 foot screen, pure eye candy extravaganza from the mind of Frank Miller based loosely on the vagueness of the history of the ancient world, I'll be more than happy to buy a ticket and plant my ass in a seat for it knowing full well what I am about to watch will horrify the mucky mucks that believe you can't have fun with and dramatize history for the simple waa-hoo funtime of doing so to produce a fun to watch movie.

From a technical aspect, the production was damn near flawless in terms of the integration of live action photography interlaced with the post production digitization effects and cgi rendered images. 2 thumbs way up for the post production visual team. In terms of visual effects, post production, editing and cinematography, they had better be up for some serious awards because they were spot on the whole way.

Blackbird · Post by **Blackbird** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 6:10 pm

CapSmashy wrote:

From a technical aspect, the production was damn near flawless in terms of the integration of live action photography interlaced with the post production digitization effects and cgi rendered images. 2 thumbs way up for the post production visual team. In terms of visual effects, post production, editing and cinematography, they had better be up for some serious awards because they were spot on the whole way.

For serious. As far as I know, all backgrounds were blue/greenscreened and of course all the blood and obviously fake things (missing limbs, etc). I never once thought "That's obviously CG" except in a manner of "they obviously didn't really spew a whole lotta blood around, so it's probably not real". None of it looked fake or hokey to me, is my point. The biggest problem is usually lighting discrepancies, I've noticed. Didn't see any in this movie.

BAS · Post by **BAS** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 8:00 pm

Yeah, I confess-- I want to see the movie purely for the special effects! I'm a sucker for that sort of thing... (although, it didn't carry George Lucas' last Star Wars trilogy. I didn't even bother going to see the final installment...

)

Who knows? Maybe the movie will inspire some people to read about the actual incident (or, at least, what is known about it).

Anyway, that is my $0.005 worth on the topic. (Not certain it is worth a whole two cents, honestly.

)

B.

Blackbird · Post by **Blackbird** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 8:06 pm

I went because my ticket was free

Ep 3 was the best of the pre-trilogy, IMO. They were all garbage compared to the original trilogy, but the first two were just feh. I can hardly remember AOTC, but I digress. . .

If you think that sounded SW-geeky, you should hear my friends talk. It makes me feel like a second grader among calc. majors.

BAS · Post by **BAS** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 8:24 pm

Blackbird wrote:I went because my ticket was free

Ep 3 was the best of the pre-trilogy, IMO. They were all garbage compared to the original trilogy, but the first two were just feh. I can hardly remember AOTC, but I digress. . .

If you think that sounded SW-geeky, you should hear my friends talk. It makes me feel like a second grader among calc. majors.

Well, I knew someone who made a statement along the lines of "After the 13th viewing, JarJar Binks wasn't annoying and the Phantom Menace was actually really good!" (Actually, it might have been the 25th viewing upon which the Phantom Menace became good and he really began to appreciate JarJar! I no longer remember the exact number-- I just know I wasn't willing to devote that much of my life to "the Cause".)

There was at least one other factor, I confess, with my not viewing the third of the series: I didn't want to get drawn into the local debate over whether or not the movie was the best or the worst Star Wars movie. George Lucas had already pretty much killed my interest in Star Wars with the Phantom Menace and Send In The Clones (or whatever it was called). If I was disappointed with The Revenge of the Sith it would have been too much. (Hell, I'm getting ready to sell my Star Wars role playing game books! I'm that disillusioned with the series...

)

B.

Apollonaris Zeus · Post by **Apollonaris Zeus** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 9:23 pm

A comment found in a movie thread, that was right on...

"its bu11sh1t, its similar to the stuff the nazis used to do with the jews. writing stories about them, and showing them with big noses and making them look subhuman so the germans wouldn't care that their leaders were going to kill them. same thing u show a bunch of persians with angry faces, noserings, and overall savages than the US public won't care that their military is going to flatten the whole iranian nation. its propaganda, and just an interesting fact frank miller is a jew, its a shame greeks are letting their history be used like this. fact of the matter is greeks are more similar to ancient persians than europeans who were like wild savages. even ethnically ancient greeks, persians, armenians, macedonians, babylonians are pretty much related to each other. but watching this movie, people will think greeks were blond haired blue eyed and persians were arabic/indian/african. which is bullsh1t. (not that there is anything wrong with those people) either way this is racism and its so obvious, i can't believe hollywood is letting this happen, to the greeks don't let the ur leonidas be used to advance someone elses agenda

kerr to u on Feb 14, 2007"

Would a movie depicting Rabis looking just like priest in this movie ever get distributed? NO! Maybe these Jews should remember the blood legacy of the 1600's when christians were spreading that Matso's were made with the blood of christian children.

So which warriors in Xerxes army was the jews. Hard to tell since they look just like the arab back then unlike the white skinned arians of today.

The criticism of this movie is just building. Take a look at the european blogs!

AIIZ

300

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300