THE PACK Message Boards

ravaged_warrior wrote:Hollywood is lazy as hell. You know, they're remaking Seven Samurai... Again!

Somebody screws this over......I'm gonna

CASTRATE SOMEDODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, interpret them as you like, but I have two words: George Clooney.

George Clooney was dead to me a long time ago.

You know, I just don't get why a film about SAMURAI (well... ronin) in JAPAN would have a WHITE GUY in it. I don't exactly have an opinion on George Clooney, since I haven't really seen any of his movies, but seriously, what the f***?

Well, then, it looks like you've got some castration to get to, so I'll leave you to it.

Oh, yes, the balls are gonna' be flyin' on this one....

Hollywood's been puttin' white guys in roles for foreign (namely Asian) characters fer decades. They let John Wayne, JOHN FRIGGIN' WAYNE, portray Genghis Khan. They did it again years later, this time with the bad guy from Kindergarten Cop as the World Conquerer. In another upcoming Khan movie, they were gonna use another white guy, but they got harassed into choosing an Asian actor. Hallelujah.

You know, I don't think they're going to go THAT far. I think they're just going to have a white guy be in Japan for no reason, like Sarah Michelle Gellar in The Grudge. One can only hope they don't make him a samurai...

I'm not taking any chances (sharpening ye ol' castration knife)

It's time ta put the fear of God inta these Hollywood bigwigs.

Given that the production team used EVERY SINGLE LAST INCH of the screen and stretched filmmaking technology and art to an extreme with this film, I think even a clone would be very watchable.

300 reset the bar.

ravaged_warrior wrote:Battle Beyond the Stars (never seen it,

Saw it. Enjoyed it. This was quite a few years ago, though, so I can't guarantee I'd like it so much if I saw it again.

ravaged_warrior wrote:but I heard that the original director remade this because of new genre popularity caused by Star Wars and even cast one of the same actors from Magnificent Seven as the SAME CHARACTER) weren't enough.

I wouldn't be at all surprised...

We have "Epic Movie 2" to look forward to for the first crack at spoofing the film "300". If you must, you can castrate them first for butchering instant-classic movies.

Oh god kae tell me you're kidding.

Kaebora wrote:We have "Epic Movie 2" to look forward to for the first crack at spoofing the film "300".

Heh-heh-heh, that should be a hoot!
I opted out of seeing "Epic Movie I" because I was seeing "Pan's Labyrinth." Wanted to see the former, wanted to see the latter more.

Just saw it last night (at the IMAX, foo!). It was great, well done fight scenes, the drama scenes weren't too bad, and the visuals were fantastic. I think the main point to keep in mind is to not take it too seriously. It isn't a realistic historical piece, but it does have a few well-emulated real formations. However, some things are just plain over-the-top, such as the executioner you see at one point. It's no masterpiece, but it's a good movie.

See it at the IMAX if possible.

It looks like "300" finally broke the barrier. $106,500,000 total made, and thats just day 8. (Results ending last friday.) This film has broken many records, and isn't stopping. It made $10 million last friday alone. Heck, I'm going to go and see it AGAIN next chance I get.

There's one idiot on the E-Playa yelping and squawking that it's Bushite propaganda to get everyone charged up to attack Iran. He's one of the board cranks, he sees Bush conspiracies in almost literally everything and this is just his latest repeat offense.

No big deal. Several posters got together, told him to shut the hell up and Ignored him. So glad that this board hasn't gotten to that point yet.

I took a day or two off from working on the Spartan werewolf mask but I'll probably finish it tomorrow. I need to get a couple red sparkle-gems for the eyes and find the upper half of my taxidermy wolf jawset.

vrikasatma wrote:There's one idiot on the E-Playa yelping and squawking that it's Bushite propaganda to get everyone charged up to attack Iran. He's one of the board cranks, he sees Bush conspiracies in almost literally everything and this is just his latest repeat offense.

No big deal. Several posters got together, told him to shut the hell up and Ignored him. So glad that this board hasn't gotten to that point yet.

A lot of people seem to be coming to that conclusion, not realizing that the movie is supposedly adapted SCENE FOR SCENE from the original comic. You know, the comic from 1998! And I guess that the movie The 300 Spartans from 1962(!) was Bushite propaganda as well? Good thing he was put in his place.

What cracks me up (very ironically) is that a German Opera production of Xerxes — yeah, this film's heavy — was cancelled because the local Islamic community protested and they'd gotten threats of suicide bombers at the theatre. The protest in question was over a scene where Xerxes contemplates the severed heads of Jesus, Buddha and Mohammed...none of whom were even *born* at the time Xerxes lived.

Okay, so now Xerxes is a cultural hero and the Greeks are offensive to Iranian culture! Rrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight!

I was simply fascinated by the way it was filmed. It was like they dropped you into a Prince of Persia video game. But most of all I saw it for all the ripped guys. I loved Gerard Butler in Phantom of the Opera, and loved him in this. He's ripped and he can sing, what else could a girl want?

Oh heck yeah! Forget that girly DiCaprio, Leonitis was friggin hot!

[voice=throaty shouty]IT WAS EXCELLENT! [/voice]

It was both an action blockbuster and an intelligent art piece; very rare to get both at the same time. I'd put it up there with the Lord of the Ring trilogy as among the best movies to come out of this decade.

Frank Miller is laying groundwork for a new kind of movie genre, one that is intentionally unreal and yet live action. Cinematography and post-production visuals are spectacular to the point that it's like watching a painting.

All of this would have been lost were it not both a well-written story and one done with an excellent cast. Sure, it doesn't have George Clooney or Leonard deCaprio, but, it doesn't need them. The effect might have been lost had the cast been stuffed with the flavor of the day actors. Instead, the spots were filled with a great cast who aren't quite as high profile (but soon could be because of this film) but clearly at the top of their game. This isn't Ocean's 11. THIS IS SPARTA!

What makes the story all the more stunning is knowing that it's based, visual and artistic liberties taken I grant, for the sake of elevation into mythos, upon actual historic events. There really were 300 Spartans who held back the entire Persian army long enough to alter the course of human history. Their recognition is long overdue, and this piece of cinema finally does for them what opera, literature, and theater has missed for some 2500 years or so. (I'm sure something has been written here or there, but it must have been fairly obscure. This movie will be remembered.)

That's what I loved about it, too. I knew going in it wouldn't be a wan historically-accurate rehash (for what it's worth...history is as prone to revisions in light of new thought and findings as any other humanity), so I wasn't smacked upside the head.

It was produced for $60 million and the only live shot was of the horses galloping over the hill to Leonidas' castle? Hacienda? Whatever. The rest was computer effects. Remember the mix of live action and animation pioneered by Disney? This is an evolutionary descendant of that era, done seamlessly.

I'm kind of iffy on use of CG in film but 300 won me over. If CG effects in future movies are this good, then let's evolve. What we lose in craftsmanship we'll regain in a wholly new, different and virtually unfettered creative tool. They couldn't have done the rhino as a puppet, or at least done him effectively. I wouldn't put it at the same level as the LOTR trilogy, but it definitely kicks hiney all over the action genre, redefines spear-sword-and-sandals epics, and takes "animation" into the 21st century.

I don't want to see CGI take over completely--I see what Matt Sullivan is having to do just to get studios even to look at an old school 2D animated film. But, it's nice to see new options opening up. This film couldn't have been made ten years ago.

One more thing I forgot to mention--the music. It was absolutely spectacular. It was a true score with just enough hints at hard rock without relying on it. No annoying rap song at the end or overused pop stuff. Instead we had etheric, haunting sounds adding to the epic nature of the images. That said, the music probably will stand on its own, and I intend to get myself a copy of the soundtrack.

It's the polis (city-state) of Sparta. The area where Leonidas and the messenger speak is the acropolis.


I think the reason 300 works so well is because we know that's not how it really was. It doesn't confess ta bein the "true" story like King Arthur er Alexander did (BTW, just about nothin in King Arthur was historically correct). It's fiction. It's based LOOSELY on historical events, but when ya get right down to it, it's still fiction.But that's why it makes such a good story. IF we strive ta make it too "believable" it looses its drive an' its luster. They didn't use the CGI ta steal the show from the actors. In fact, it was ta support them and make them look good. In a lot of movies, they try ta force ya into payin more attention ta the CGI that probably cost more than the aall actors' salaries did. That's why a lot of the computer stuff in this movie (except fer stuff like the war elephants an' such), it's subtle. It's not tryin' too hard. It's like the Kung Fu thing, "Do not grab the pebble. Let the pebble come to you."

They need ta make more epics like this. Make the characters, not the world around them, larger than life. What I wanna see next is somethin' like this 'bout Baiden Hill an' Camlann. THAT would be epic.

Scott Gardener wrote:I don't want to see CGI take over completely--I see what Matt Sullivan is having to do just to get studios even to look at an old school 2D animated film. But, it's nice to see new options opening up. This film couldn't have been made ten years ago.

One more thing I forgot to mention--the music. It was absolutely spectacular. It was a true score with just enough hints at hard rock without relying on it. No annoying rap song at the end or overused pop stuff. Instead we had etheric, haunting sounds adding to the epic nature of the images. That said, the music probably will stand on its own, and I intend to get myself a copy of the soundtrack.

This movie was absolutely brilliant, it makes me feel proud to be Greek. *warm and fuzzy feeling*
I have the soundtrack, and it's freakin' awesome. Once you get it, listen to "Message for the Queen". It's so full of emotion, I just love it. 300 is tied with Narnia for my favorite movies of all time.

Finally got to watch it last night. All I can is that i thought it was absolutely Fantastic. Simply stunning. And I actually quite liked the wolf