MOVIE REVIEW: 300

300 Spartans against thousands upon thousands of Persian troops--sound far fetched? Maybe? But to any red blooded male who enjoys action and blood spurting-who cares. According to Greek philosophers King Leonidas and his Spartans fought back the tide of the Persian Empire with only 300 well trained soldiers. As the story goes of course all of the Spartans were killed but they died so valiantly that it inspired all of Greece to unite against the Persians defeating them and their God-King Xerxes. Did I just give something away--not really. If you are reading this and thinking--damnit he gave it away. Don't worry I didn't. Gerard Butler as King Leonidas destroys as many Persians just with a meaty stare than even with his sword.
King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) comes from a long tradition of Spartan warriors. The first fifteen minutes show how hardcore these guys really are. Apparently from birth if the kid doesn't look strong enough they chuck them onto a garbage heap and leave them for dead. They have extreme conditioning as children and taught to kill. So, yeah, 300 hard chargers could definitely hold their own against a shitload of enemies--especially those really tough Orc looking creatures called the Immortals. Basically watching this film was like reading the Frank Miller comic of the same name. You have the great voice over by warrior poet Delios (David Wenham) who sets the tone for the legend of King Leonidas and his men. The women are gorgeous especially the Queen, (Lena Heady) not to mention she has herself a badass moment about halfway through, proving the mettle of the Spartan women. The dark overtones and smooth dialogue assure me that director Zack Snyder is very comfortable in this genre and when I heard that he will be taking on Alan Moore's Watchmen next I feel a nice wave of excitement. The cinematography is gorgeous, the CGI backdrops are flawless. Sin City was an incredible looking film and it certainly paved the way but 300 really has taken this style of filmmaking to the next level and beyond. It really is a virtual comic book.
So go out and see this one--see it in IMAX if you can, I hope to do so myself in the next week or two. Check out Frank Miller's graphic novel too--you can really see the influence of the novel in this film it really is uncanny. I really look forward to watching Zack Snyder's career blossom according to IMDB this is only his second feature film so congrats Zack --excellent work. I can't wait for Watchmen.

Grade: 5 Buckets

COMICS: The Death of Captain America

How do you kill an American Icon? DC killed the Man of Steel while protecting Metropolis and the world one final time against Doomsday. It was bloody but it was magnificent. He went out the way an American hero should. They brought him back of course, but that is another story. So how do you kill Marvel's equivalent of Superman, Captain America? Does he die fighting for freedom against tyranny, fighting valiantly to the end? No, Marvel on the other hand has another kind of death in store for Captain America aka. Steve Rogers, the living legend who fought against Nazi oppression and was a hero for many years with the Avengers. A Sniper shoots him while a supposed ally shoots him point blank range Lee Harvey Oswald style. The editor in chief of Marvel has mentioned that you can take the meaning of this death in multiple ways. Unfortunately the only one that speaks most eloquently to me is that patriotism and statesmanship is dead, that we do not have respect for our icons any longer and we would rather go for the controversial impact rather than the emotional tragedy that allows these characters to die as the legend intends. Look, if this were real life, of course, Captain America would get shot in the head and be dead instantly while handcuffed on the courthouse steps, but that is not what is supposed to happen in the fictional world of comic books. I'm sorry, you can do that to Wonderman or Hank Pym but you cannot do that to Captain Friggin America.I'm not saying that he can't die--I'm not even saying that he is my favorite character or anything, but there has to be an importance to his death. Now bear in mind they just killed him so the impact has not been felt throughout the Marvel Universe--but still when I think back to legendary characters good or bad when someone asks you about Captain America and how the legendary hero met his end--yeah, well he was shot by a sniper while handcuffed and then shot at point blank range by a supposed friend. What kind of end to a legend is that supposed to be. I know Marvel wants to be known for their realistic interpretations of events, but I think this maybe taking it a bit too far. If I want this much reality I'll watch the news. I don't think I'm asking for much, just an honorable death for an honorable hero. Anyway my thinking here is that if Tony Stark who has, in my view, become a villain somehow comes out of this thing completely clean I will say unequivocally that Marvel has failed at achieving the goal of their Civil War. By killing Cap in the way they have and by legitimizing Tony aka Iron Man they have sold out by telling an aggrandized story with no real meat just a shitload of controversy and a death with no meaning. So tread lightly Marvel--you are on notice with me.

MOVIE REVIEW: Zodiac

If you've seen Seven and Fight Club then you know just how creepy a David Fincher movie can be. This film definitely has a sense of uneasiness but it was a very clean film for Fincher who usually likes to get down and dirty showing the nasty underbelly of the human condition. This film is based on the Robert Graysmith novel documenting all of the evidence about the San Francisco serial killer known to the public only as Zodiac. This of course was a real event and scary enough it was never solved for one reason or another. The film does make some suggestions to who they believe to be the actual killer but they let the evidence do the talking as Graysmith, Paul Avery and the two officers assigned to the case try to piece together the seemingly intelligent and random Zodiac killer.The San Francisco Chronicle receives a letter and sensitive information on a murder, the supposed killer calls himself Zodiac and promises to kill a dozen more if the letter is not printed in the Chronicle the next day. Along with the letter is a code. Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaall) a shy cartoonist who has a penchant for puzzles cracks one of the puzzles sent by the Zodiac and becomes obsessed with discovering the true identity of the killer. He attempts to assist the columnist Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.) and two officers Inspectors William Armstrong (Anthony Edwards) and David Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) as they try to piece together all of the information from three cities about the true identity of this clever killer. They blow through a few years constantly going one month later, two months later then a year. It can get a little grating but you also get a sense of the frustration of trying to solve this case. There are a lot of screw ups by the bureaucrats as they stumble onto clues here and there and it is Toschi years later who allows Graysmith to pick up the investigation where they left off. There are some great performances from Brian Cox, Anthony Edwards and of course Robert Downey Jr.
As I said it is a long movie--maybe too long. They jump in and out of the various characters as they all try to figure this thing out. Personally I don't know how else he would have shot this thing--Graysmith, Avery and the cops are essential to tell this story and it allows us to see every possible suspect. The film itself looks great as we have tracking shots of the Golden Gate Bridge--the period is captured well enough with the hair and the clothes. This film just might not be for everyone. It is suspenseful but in pockets. As a whole it just seems very long and very choppy. I heard a collective groan in the last five minutes as they jumped ahead another 3 or four years. As I said it was important to tell this particular story but it can make the film seem longer than it really should be. It's not one of Fincher's best but it is better than Panic Room, I don't know if that is saying very much for you, but there it is.

Grade: 4 Buckets