Hi 72 / Lo 38
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Hi 72 / Lo 38 |
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Volume 72, Issue 108,
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Life & Arts Gory war story at helm this weekend ‘300' tells gory tale of valiant Spartans in combat; film about redeemed brat serves as non-bloody option by JACOB BRISSE
Zach Snyder's film version of Frank Miller's comic version of the Battle of Thermopylae, simply called 300, takes on mythological proportions and millions of Persian warriors this weekend. The 480 A.D. battle for the mountain pass of Thermopylae involved 300 Spartans (along with 700 volunteers) under King Leonidas. They were charged with holding back an overwhelming Persian army for three days, sacrificing themselves rather than bow to the Persian empire and allowing the Greek forces time to rally. The movie chooses to focus on the Spartan side of the story, and Sparta's legendary status as a nation of disciplined, nationalistic and superior warriors is established early on in a sequence depicting Leonidas' (Gerard Butler) rise to the throne. Then it's on to glory: The Persian multi-nation army, led by Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), has demanded allegiance, subservience and tribute from all of Greece, or else. The oracles and councils have determined that to go to war will result in death, but Leonidas, a true Spartan, determines that it'll only take 299 handpicked men and himself. He sets off to meet the Persians at the narrowest part of the mountain pass. From there, it's one impossibly over-the-top, gory, visual feast of a battle after another until Ephialtes, a Spartan outcast, shows the Persians an alternate route. The fighting is interspersed with scenes from Sparta showing Leonidas' wife, Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey), fighting her own political battles against Theron (Dominic West), who seeks to undermine all that Leonidas is fighting for. Also out this weekend is The Ultimate Gift, based on the novel by Jim Stovall. The film stars Drew Fuller as trust-fund baby Jason Stevens, a lazy, spoiled brat of a kid. Jason's life is one of wealth and privilege, but also emptiness and lack of purpose. He shows no interest in his grandfather's business (the source of his unearned income) or the countless beautiful but soulless women he dates. He doesn't even care about spending his money, though he does anyway. He's not exactly a wonderful human being -- that is, until his grandfather, Red Stevens (James Garner), dies. Jason's relationship with his grandfather was one of simple monetary transactions, but when the will is read, it becomes clear that Red has invested more than money in Jason. Instead of handing over the cash, Red has decided to give Jason "the ultimate gift," 12 Herculean tasks designed to teach him the value of everything. With the uncertainty of his inheritance hanging in the balance, he reluctantly accepts the challenge. The question is, will this really make him a better person? Send comments to dcshobiz@mail.uh.edu |
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