It's Spring
Mar. 25th, 2007 04:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
talkingsoupIn many more ways than one.
Well, for one thing, it's very, very, very nice outside. The lake looks like glass from here and the grass is really green and it's all warm and the last of the snow is kind of lingering in piles and the sky is this sort of pale blue. It's very lovely. And here I am cooped up inside with lots of homework. Boo homework. But oh well. I'm so happy it's getting to be nice again, because this means I can go hiking again, woot! I think I'll give it a few more days for some of the mud to clear up (I can only imagine what it looks like back there), then I'm going out for a few hours and trekking around the deer paths. Hee, it'll be awesome.
I've been writing a lot, which is good. I've just generally been in a good mood for the past few weeks, which is a bit of a new thing for me. Not to say I'm depressed all the time, but just that things are usually just like, "okay, another day, woot." La-dee-da, I guess. Being in a good mood is good for writing unless you're writing dark things, and sometimes even if you're writing dark things. I've gotten a whole bunch more chapters on the Pentagram rewrite punched out, and Pat's been a big help as First Reader. I also had a sort of mental coming together of North, and the same thing happened with Fox's story, and I've fleshed some more things out for Ramsey. The only thing that's been kinda sitting on the back burner is Desert, although I've worked out some world things for that one. And Motley Crew is still taking a break. But it's all good. I'm writing again, and I'm usually writing every day, which is great.
Oh, and, Pat kissed me.
And I'm not one to get into details on the more personal things in my life, but seeing as this was my first kiss (!) I think I'm entitled to at least say something. And, well, I was really floaty and dazed and dizzy and I couldn't actually think much, but overall I guess that's a good thing. And now whenever I think about it I've got this kind of singing sensation--I have no idea how else to describe it--but in any case, I guess that's also a good thing.
So are we going out now? I really don't know. In this day and age, I have no idea what constitutes a relationship anymore. But in the words of Beauty and the Beast, I think there's something there that wasn't there before.
^.^
Oh my god, and now before I overload on the cheese...
300
This movie was overwhelming. That's this movie in a word, overwhelming. But in a good way.
There were four things that made this movie: the prettiness, the storytelling, the plot and characterization, and the Spartans. And I'll explain each in turn.
Okay, so by now, most people know the premise of this movie. Based on historical events, it tells the story of how 300 Spartans managed to hold back the massive Persian army at Thermopylae (dear god did I spell that right?). They all died in the process, but they succeeded at keeping the Persians from entering Sparta, and their bravery became a rallying cry not only to Sparta but all of Greece, thus unifying Greece for the first time in history. The movie itself is actually based on a graphic novel by Frank Miller, the same guy who did Sin City.
Now, I haven't read the graphic novel, but this movie was almost on par with Sin City for how much it felt like a graphic novel. You can see in the preview the way they use color and rather stylized and exaggerated imagery to make it look simply beautiful, and like a graphic novel. But not only that, but the movie actually moves like a graphic novel. One of the big complaints I've heard about this movie is that it's all in slow motion--but I think the use of slow motion actually lends to the movie rather than detracts. It makes you feel as if you're flipping through the pages of a graphic novel, going from panel to panel. Also, in all honesty, with the battle scenes there was really no other way to shoot them. Otherwise things would have happened so fast and the viewer would have had no idea what was going on. Visually, the movie is stunning, absolutely stunning. Between the visual prettiness and the very pretty half-naked men running around, the movie is simply beautiful.
Another thing that's simply wonderful is the way the movie is told. The actor who played Faramir (holy fuck yes!) narrates the whole thing as the one Spartan who survived the battle and returned to lead the Greek army against what remained of the Persians. This is something that I think was missing from the recent ancient history movies that have been springing up. Particularly with Greek stories like this, one of the big things was to have a storyteller transmitting the story orally to people. Anyone read the Odyssey? The Odyssey wouldn't have been half as awesome as it was without the presence of the storyteller throughout the epic. You read The Odyssey and you can practically hear it in your head, like you're sitting there a few thousand years ago, listening to someone tell you the story. It was the same way with 300. Faramir tells the story of Leonidas, the king who led the Spartans, and the story of the battle itself, and you can feel it through the whole thing, like you're sitting there in the army listening to this tale. It's absolutely wonderful. They couldn't have chosen a better narrator.
Another thing I've heard in complaint about this movie is that it doesn't really have any substance to it. It's an action movie that looks pretty with lots of men running around screaming and generally looking pretty (I'm using pretty a lot, aren't I?). And that's actually what I was expecting when I went, that it would just be a fun, action movie. And it was a fun action movie, but it was also so much more. Leonidas is a character, and I mean that in the way that Timothy Treadwell was a character and Sally Bowles from Cabaret was a character. It's one thing to write brilliant characters, it's another to write brilliant characters. I guess what I mean is, you have three-dimensional characters, and then you have four-dimensional characters, the kind of people who transcend everything else and are so quirky and yet also so real that you could imagine yourself meeting them on the street one day. To some degree, anyway. There's an actual story behind all the ripped, half-naked and the spears and blood and screaming, and the story is beautiful. Leonidas is crazy and ruthless and madly in love with his wife, the Queen Gorgo, and loves his country and his people to the point that he would die for them. Leonidas carries the movie, but there are other brilliant characters, though some of their names escape me--but most particularly the Captain and his son, the Queen herself who is totally awesome, the couple of Spartans that the movie focuses on, the hunchback, Theron the traitor, and Xerxes the god-king of the Persians (holy shit that bastard is tall!). There is a story here as well, and it is raw and beautiful and amazing, and don't let anyone tell you that this movie is just half-naked Spartans and blood and guts. It's a lot more than that.
Which is another thing I really loved, because this is an extremely masculine movie, they didn't skimp at all on Queen Gorgo. She's a strong female character, and totally awesome.
And last but not least, yes, this movie is drool-worthy for the scantily clad Spartans running around and yelling things and killing people. Holy shit. And apparently all those muscles were REAL. *sputters* I am crushing on King Leonidas big time right now, lol. The beard, man. It's all about the beard. *purr*
This movie is also very quotable:
"Madness? THIS! IS! SPARTA!!"
"Our arrows will blot out the sun!"
"Then we will fight in the shade."
"TONIGHT WE DINE IN HELL!"
XOMG, and I swear this is the last thing, but the MUSIC. *flailsputterdie* Best soundtrack ever and NO JOKE. The music was utterly beautiful, holy crap I've gotta get my hands on this soundtrack. Augh!
So yes, go see 300 if you're one of the few who hasn't already. You won't be disappointed.
Score: 9 out of 10
Well, for one thing, it's very, very, very nice outside. The lake looks like glass from here and the grass is really green and it's all warm and the last of the snow is kind of lingering in piles and the sky is this sort of pale blue. It's very lovely. And here I am cooped up inside with lots of homework. Boo homework. But oh well. I'm so happy it's getting to be nice again, because this means I can go hiking again, woot! I think I'll give it a few more days for some of the mud to clear up (I can only imagine what it looks like back there), then I'm going out for a few hours and trekking around the deer paths. Hee, it'll be awesome.
I've been writing a lot, which is good. I've just generally been in a good mood for the past few weeks, which is a bit of a new thing for me. Not to say I'm depressed all the time, but just that things are usually just like, "okay, another day, woot." La-dee-da, I guess. Being in a good mood is good for writing unless you're writing dark things, and sometimes even if you're writing dark things. I've gotten a whole bunch more chapters on the Pentagram rewrite punched out, and Pat's been a big help as First Reader. I also had a sort of mental coming together of North, and the same thing happened with Fox's story, and I've fleshed some more things out for Ramsey. The only thing that's been kinda sitting on the back burner is Desert, although I've worked out some world things for that one. And Motley Crew is still taking a break. But it's all good. I'm writing again, and I'm usually writing every day, which is great.
Oh, and, Pat kissed me.
And I'm not one to get into details on the more personal things in my life, but seeing as this was my first kiss (!) I think I'm entitled to at least say something. And, well, I was really floaty and dazed and dizzy and I couldn't actually think much, but overall I guess that's a good thing. And now whenever I think about it I've got this kind of singing sensation--I have no idea how else to describe it--but in any case, I guess that's also a good thing.
So are we going out now? I really don't know. In this day and age, I have no idea what constitutes a relationship anymore. But in the words of Beauty and the Beast, I think there's something there that wasn't there before.
^.^
Oh my god, and now before I overload on the cheese...
300
This movie was overwhelming. That's this movie in a word, overwhelming. But in a good way.
There were four things that made this movie: the prettiness, the storytelling, the plot and characterization, and the Spartans. And I'll explain each in turn.
Okay, so by now, most people know the premise of this movie. Based on historical events, it tells the story of how 300 Spartans managed to hold back the massive Persian army at Thermopylae (dear god did I spell that right?). They all died in the process, but they succeeded at keeping the Persians from entering Sparta, and their bravery became a rallying cry not only to Sparta but all of Greece, thus unifying Greece for the first time in history. The movie itself is actually based on a graphic novel by Frank Miller, the same guy who did Sin City.
Now, I haven't read the graphic novel, but this movie was almost on par with Sin City for how much it felt like a graphic novel. You can see in the preview the way they use color and rather stylized and exaggerated imagery to make it look simply beautiful, and like a graphic novel. But not only that, but the movie actually moves like a graphic novel. One of the big complaints I've heard about this movie is that it's all in slow motion--but I think the use of slow motion actually lends to the movie rather than detracts. It makes you feel as if you're flipping through the pages of a graphic novel, going from panel to panel. Also, in all honesty, with the battle scenes there was really no other way to shoot them. Otherwise things would have happened so fast and the viewer would have had no idea what was going on. Visually, the movie is stunning, absolutely stunning. Between the visual prettiness and the very pretty half-naked men running around, the movie is simply beautiful.
Another thing that's simply wonderful is the way the movie is told. The actor who played Faramir (holy fuck yes!) narrates the whole thing as the one Spartan who survived the battle and returned to lead the Greek army against what remained of the Persians. This is something that I think was missing from the recent ancient history movies that have been springing up. Particularly with Greek stories like this, one of the big things was to have a storyteller transmitting the story orally to people. Anyone read the Odyssey? The Odyssey wouldn't have been half as awesome as it was without the presence of the storyteller throughout the epic. You read The Odyssey and you can practically hear it in your head, like you're sitting there a few thousand years ago, listening to someone tell you the story. It was the same way with 300. Faramir tells the story of Leonidas, the king who led the Spartans, and the story of the battle itself, and you can feel it through the whole thing, like you're sitting there in the army listening to this tale. It's absolutely wonderful. They couldn't have chosen a better narrator.
Another thing I've heard in complaint about this movie is that it doesn't really have any substance to it. It's an action movie that looks pretty with lots of men running around screaming and generally looking pretty (I'm using pretty a lot, aren't I?). And that's actually what I was expecting when I went, that it would just be a fun, action movie. And it was a fun action movie, but it was also so much more. Leonidas is a character, and I mean that in the way that Timothy Treadwell was a character and Sally Bowles from Cabaret was a character. It's one thing to write brilliant characters, it's another to write brilliant characters. I guess what I mean is, you have three-dimensional characters, and then you have four-dimensional characters, the kind of people who transcend everything else and are so quirky and yet also so real that you could imagine yourself meeting them on the street one day. To some degree, anyway. There's an actual story behind all the ripped, half-naked and the spears and blood and screaming, and the story is beautiful. Leonidas is crazy and ruthless and madly in love with his wife, the Queen Gorgo, and loves his country and his people to the point that he would die for them. Leonidas carries the movie, but there are other brilliant characters, though some of their names escape me--but most particularly the Captain and his son, the Queen herself who is totally awesome, the couple of Spartans that the movie focuses on, the hunchback, Theron the traitor, and Xerxes the god-king of the Persians (holy shit that bastard is tall!). There is a story here as well, and it is raw and beautiful and amazing, and don't let anyone tell you that this movie is just half-naked Spartans and blood and guts. It's a lot more than that.
Which is another thing I really loved, because this is an extremely masculine movie, they didn't skimp at all on Queen Gorgo. She's a strong female character, and totally awesome.
And last but not least, yes, this movie is drool-worthy for the scantily clad Spartans running around and yelling things and killing people. Holy shit. And apparently all those muscles were REAL. *sputters* I am crushing on King Leonidas big time right now, lol. The beard, man. It's all about the beard. *purr*
This movie is also very quotable:
"Madness? THIS! IS! SPARTA!!"
"Our arrows will blot out the sun!"
"Then we will fight in the shade."
"TONIGHT WE DINE IN HELL!"
XOMG, and I swear this is the last thing, but the MUSIC. *flailsputterdie* Best soundtrack ever and NO JOKE. The music was utterly beautiful, holy crap I've gotta get my hands on this soundtrack. Augh!
So yes, go see 300 if you're one of the few who hasn't already. You won't be disappointed.
Score: 9 out of 10
