I remember the day Mr D posted, drooling over the fact that they were to make another Frank Miller graphic novel into a movie. And after what they did with/to Sin City it was a just a matter of watchful waiting or waitful watching as the case may have been. Decided at the spur of the moment to make my otherwise pointless life a tad interesting by taking off to the local PVR after a good session at TGIF.
300 is stunning. It's a treat visually. Apparently filmed almost entirely on blue screen with the backdrops being added from the book itself, it also has a sort of sepia filter on all the colours. Blood (oodles of it) is dark red to black and unlike Apocalypto doesn't trigger the wave of nausea that often accompanies such hemorrhage on screen. The fights are beautifully choreographed and the soundtrack kicks in perfectly.
The film has been dogged with controversy with the Iranians screaming murder at the depiction of their erstwhile civilization as barbaric. There is also an undertone of the Greeks fighting for democracy and logic against a vastly barbaric Asian invasion. And then there are others who aren't quite sure whether Xerxes represents George Bush or Terrorism.
The day people stop drawing oblique analogies to real life while trying not to enjoy an otherwise landmark in film making will be a day of joy and feasting for us all. Of course one did have to deal with a hundred odd choms whistling every time a decapitation occurred or a bare breast appeared and some even when the obviously androgynous Xerxes came along.
The only disappointment was that Lena Heady who plays the Queen of Sparta was seen with a spear and shield and copious blood in some picture I got of the net, but didn't actually do any fighting. Like I often say, there is something about women with weapons as long as a) they're on screen b) they aren't Jennifer Garner or Halle Berry and c) they aren't after me. Before some smart alec decides to brandish ol' Mrs Bobbit to my... face.
In other interesting bits and pieces, Bacardi has this dark dark rum called Bacardi Black and the TGIF here in Delhi kindly stocks it. A large of that drink on the rocks is heaven. Makes one wonder why the old casks, monks, smugglers etc even exist.
300 is stunning. It's a treat visually. Apparently filmed almost entirely on blue screen with the backdrops being added from the book itself, it also has a sort of sepia filter on all the colours. Blood (oodles of it) is dark red to black and unlike Apocalypto doesn't trigger the wave of nausea that often accompanies such hemorrhage on screen. The fights are beautifully choreographed and the soundtrack kicks in perfectly.
The film has been dogged with controversy with the Iranians screaming murder at the depiction of their erstwhile civilization as barbaric. There is also an undertone of the Greeks fighting for democracy and logic against a vastly barbaric Asian invasion. And then there are others who aren't quite sure whether Xerxes represents George Bush or Terrorism.
The day people stop drawing oblique analogies to real life while trying not to enjoy an otherwise landmark in film making will be a day of joy and feasting for us all. Of course one did have to deal with a hundred odd choms whistling every time a decapitation occurred or a bare breast appeared and some even when the obviously androgynous Xerxes came along.
The only disappointment was that Lena Heady who plays the Queen of Sparta was seen with a spear and shield and copious blood in some picture I got of the net, but didn't actually do any fighting. Like I often say, there is something about women with weapons as long as a) they're on screen b) they aren't Jennifer Garner or Halle Berry and c) they aren't after me. Before some smart alec decides to brandish ol' Mrs Bobbit to my... face.
In other interesting bits and pieces, Bacardi has this dark dark rum called Bacardi Black and the TGIF here in Delhi kindly stocks it. A large of that drink on the rocks is heaven. Makes one wonder why the old casks, monks, smugglers etc even exist.
