Hot Gates? Hot Picture - Gerard Butler, Best New Action Hero; is this subliminal PR for Bush's Surge? Doubt it!

Rating: 10/10 (24 March 2007)

* SPARTANS! LAY DOWN YOUR WEAPONS!! (shields up and spears to the fore more precise than synchronised swimmers) * PERSIANS, COME AND GET THEM!!! As the 300 would say, Haaa-OOooh! This is a man-film, OK? From start to finish, women? Do not feel neglected, you have all of your stuff, it's just that it was about time they remembered there are GUYS out here...
300 is a pure testosterone rush from beginning to end - when the film is over you feel like hunting something down with your bare hands for the hell of it.
I understand Iranian-Americans are protesting the portrayal of themselves in the film; if it is for the dress used in the flick then that is fine but if for the deed? That is recorded historical fact! As for the Persian attire, I must admit I was taken off-guard... It was my only knock against the film - in reality, Persians almost looked like groomed Rastafarians in that day and age, their beards were tightly rolled and oiled in rows! Other than that this movie tends to follow the history of Thermopylae or the Hot Gates very closely and is relatively true - even down to selecting babies and educating Spartan women! The last was important as they wanted to ensure they gave birth to strong and smart children, their life was pure war - men were not allowed to farm or handle money... There were slaves or helots for that purpose! This film has many memorable quotes - "THEN WE WILL HAVE TO FIGHT IN THE SHADE" when told Persian arrows would blot out the sun, as for the photography and cinematography - this is very true to the spirit and style of Frank Miller's illustration technique's... He is the man who redefined Daredevil in the 80's, not the wuss that Ben Affleck loused up recently! The actors were well-cast, many of them for me are unfamiliar, but while I do not know Rodrigo Santoro as Xerxes? I could tell his voice was altered and I did not agree with this - if his character was like an original historical Persian then I could understand the deepening of his voice; otherwise, Xerxes looked a bit drag-queen kind of gay...
Was the picture a subtle push for Bush's surge in Iraq? I doubt it, even with the Marine like "HAAaa-OOooh!" cry from the 300, since essentially this is backfiring in emphasising the exact reverse of Bush's view and what is happening.
In other words it is Bush who is Xerxes, and Muqtada Al-Sadr who is like Leonidas - Bush is the invader with the multi-national horde who is encroaching on the small Najaf... So how can this picture relate to such Hawkish policies? Nah, this is just a guy-flick... Women if you wanna make your man feel like Tarzan for a few days and he will kill or die to do anything for you in that period? RUN and drag him to 300! HAAaa-OOooh! http://bajanreporter.blogspot.com/