Spartans!!

***!!! CAUTION: HERE BE SPOILERS OF THE MOVIE EVENT OF THE YEAR: 300 !!!***

"A thousand armies of the Persian empire, descend upon you! Our arrows will blot out the sun!" sneers the Emissary. "Then we will fight in the shade," laughs Stelios.

Frank Miller is arguably one of the finest artists of our generation. He has produced tremendous works that have inspired what can only be called Chefs d'Oeuvres. These include Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins, his own Sin City, and now the heroic tale of the 300 Spartan soldiers who fought in the Battle of Thermopylae.

Many are quick to say that his stories are only comic books, but they are not. Frank Miller writes Graphic Novels, something far more refined than a mere comic book. Any author worth his wit will choose his words carefully. It is this way with Frank Miller's works as well. He combines his meticulously crafted dialogue with images so precise they put comics to shame.

This latest translation has been hailed as one of the finest adaptations ever conceived. Having read and born witness to both forms, I can see why. Not only do they both cover the same ground, both are so engaging they'd have even the most far-removed audience delving deep into the history of the event that spawned the legend.

300 is beautifully shot. That's really all you need to know to appreciate this movie. The applied filter lends to the entire film a sense of realism no amount of set or costume design ever could. Every angle, every millimeter of reel is perfectly balanced against the formidable content of the plot.

A short summary is as follows: The God-King Xerxes of Persia has come to Sparta's doorstep and is demanding that Sparta kneel before the Persian empire. True to their reputation, the Spartan army refuses and ignites a war. Timing could not be worse as the elder council has decreed that no war shall be waged during the fall harvest, a festival known as the "Carneia." King Leonidas of Sparta assembles 300 of his finest men and proceeds to the Northern shore where he hopes to break the Persian army. The terrain, a mountain pass known as the Hot Gates provides the perfect holding point, as the Persian army is forced into a narrow corridor that cannot be breached. Wave after wave of soldiers presses the attack but to no avail. It is only because of a disfigured and deformed Spartan that Leonidas' army is undone. Leading men through a goat trail that takes them behind the Hot Gates opening, the traitor provides Xerxes with the opportunity for victory. The Spartans are slaughtered but not before Leonidas mars the divine figure of the God-King.

Casting was excellent, with Gerard Butler as King Leonidas and Rodrigo Santoro as Xerxes. The supporting actors who fill the roles of other primary Spartan fighters are also well cast, rounding out the ensemble. There is an attempt to really flesh out the characters, but this not the primary goal of the story. Queen Gorgo, portrayed fantastically by Lena Headey, is used to add a sense of purpose to the war and stakes at hand.

The score, like many films of this type, is haunting but also infused with heavy rock influences that carry many of the dramatic action sequences with a surprising grace. This is exemplified early in the movie by the heraldic arrival of the Persian messenger, driving his mount over a hill towards Sparta's capital city. You really feel the importance of his message even before it is spoken by the score that accompanies his arrival and entourage.

And finally, there is an enormous amount of gore, violence, and nudity which are all taken humorously and seriously at the same time without straying too far into the realm of parody. Each spatter and spray of blood is shot, and almost choreographed, with such perfection you expect to be drenched in it by the movie's end. For many, this film is an excuse to put 300 extremely muscular actors into a war and set them loose, as though the Gates of Hell were broken and all manner of horrors were spilling out like blood.

Overall, this is an amazing film and I highly recommend you see it. Don't even stop to think, just go. You won't regret it.

"A new age has come, an age of freedom. And all will know that 300 Spartans gave their last breath to defend it."
- Spartan King Leonidas

Lay Off, Will Ya?!

People really need to stop getting all angry and shit over Daniel Radcliffe (aka Harry Potter) trying to expand his horizons. For those of you who haven't been following, or live under a rock, the young boy wizard (as he'd prefer not to be called) has a role in the play Equus in which his character has an erotic relationship with horses. He also happens to spend part of the play nude.

I was reading an article today, and some father wrote in to say that Master Radcliffe was once a role model for his son, but that he would no longer be going to see the Harry Potter films, or any other work starring Daniel, for that matter (damn that's a long sentence). Well, mister, I can tell you right now that if your boy wants it bad enough, he'll find a way to see the rest of the Harry Potter movies. You are also teaching him that to expand ones horizons is a bad thing. Mr Radcliffe is simply trying to become more than just the kid who played Harry Potter in like 8 movies. Can you really fault him for that?

Well, no, would be the answer. Because the REAL issue here is that Mr Radcliffe has a part that involves being nude on stage. Something most of you probably don't know, is that he is also only 17 years old. I'm positive that some sicko will attend the play if only for the chance to see the little soldier (not that it's little, or big for that matter).

I gotta say, Equus is a helluva play, and a very daring role. We had it done at McGill and it was very popular amongst the students. It's a challenging role, and requires the actor to contend with some pretty serious issues (love for horse, yes more than just that kind of love). In my opinion, Daniel is taking a chance to step out of the HP shadow and become an actor with more than just a passing likeness to a character from a book. He's trying to broaden his repertoire, and show that he can do more than just recite ridiculous-sounding spells while waving a wand.

Seriously, the boy has talent (that's debatable, I know) and we'd all like to see what else he can do. This is evidenced by our most recent child-actor-turned-serious-movie-mogul, Leonardo DiCaprio. He started out as this kid, who got the role of a lifetime as Jack Dawson on James Cameron's Titanic. And now look at him. He got nominated twice in the same category for the Golden Globes, essentially running against himself for an award!! He has outgrown the young, "look who cute I am" phase of his career, which actually prompted a withdrawal from the stage light to find projects that were worth doing.

Kudos to you, Mr Radcliffe for doing something beyond the typical child actor stereotype. And shame on all you parents for dismissing what could be the best move of his entire career, keeping in mind that it's HIS career for chrissakes.