300 [Blu-ray]
300 [Blu-ray]
- Condition: New
- Format: Blu-ray
- Closed-captioned; Color; Dolby; Subtitled; Widescreen
The epic graphic novel by Frank Miller (Sin City) assaults the screen with the blood, thunder and awe of its ferocious visual style faithfully recreated in an intense blend of live-action and CGI animation. Retelling the ancient Battle of Thermopylae, it depicts the titanic clash in which King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and 300 Spartans fought to the death against Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) and his massive Persian army. Experience history at swordpoint. And moviemaking with a cutting edge.Like Sin C
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Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo +Digital Copy)
No plan. No backup. No choice. Agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his elite team (Jeremy Renner, The Avengers and Simon Pegg, Star Trek) go underground after a bombing of the Kremlin implicates the IMF as international terrorists. While trying to clear the agency’s name, the team uncovers a plot to start a nuclear war. Now, to save the world, they must use every high-tech trick in the book. The mission has never been more real, more dangerous, or more impossible.The second half of the first decad
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300: Inspiring Tale Magnificently Told,
A more intense shot of testosterone you will not find in any film. Equal parts bravado, guts and glory, “300″ is simply the most exciting film to come out this year – or in several. Criticized for its violence and gore, fans of Miller’s graphic novels will find that violence and gore to be as beautifully depicted on the screen as in the print version. A highly hyped CGI affair the cast could easily have been overcome by the sheer impressiveness of the physical production. To his credit director Zack Snyder is blessed with and uses a cast every bit equal to the challenge of competing with Miller’s dark fantastic take of the Spartan’s greatest story.
Gerard Butler (Phantom of the Opera, Dear Frankie, etc.) adds yet another impressive and wildly different character to his arsenal of screen roles. As Leonidas, King of Sparta, Butler is, from his pigtail to his muscled, sandled feet, every inch a king; a true leader of men. His passion and intensity is matched by a splendid performance by Lena Headey as his wife, Queen Gorgo. Though a dutiful wife and a woman in an age when being such was near equal to slave status, she is, in her way, as bold and fearless as her husband/King. Dominic West is properly evil and oily as the traitor Theron and he’s as nasty and duplicitous a villain as one can hope for. Rodrigo Santoro as a larger-than-life Xerxes is both comical and fearfully creepy equal parts drag queen and wanna be god. Behind all the glitzy piercings and bling, he is little more than self-inflated egotistical child.
While there is blood and gore aplenty, the film also happens to be emotionally satisfying and I found myself with tears welling up in my eyes more than a few times, as well as wanting to raise my fist in the air along with the jacked-up Spartans! While a macho stoicism pervades their attitudes, there are, to be sure, signs of a greater humanity beneath those ripped abs of Sparta’s army – and plenty of heart.
Parallels and allegories are already being drawn between today’s warring world climate, super power dominations and the world of ancient Greece and the Middle East. While this provides an interesting commentary, I heartily recommend leaving that baggage at home and appreciating “300″ on its own and embracing its escapism.
Larry Fong’s cinematography ensures that “300″ is eye-poppingly glorious from start to finish – a magnificent feast for the eyes while Tyler Bates’s score is guaranteed to keep your adrenaline pumping as it matches – frame-for-frame the visual intensity presented on the screen. While critics are divided on this one, audiences are flocking to it and cheering. For good reason, too: “300″ is magnificent old-fashioned story telling wed to the very best 21st century filmmaking has to offer. See it!
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|This is Sparta!,
Frank Miller adaptations are on a roll. First we got “Sin City,” and now we have the story of three hundred Spartans who repelled a massive invasion.
And the adaptation of “300″ is a stunning one — literally stunning, since it bombards the viewer with larger-than-life characters, smashing visuals and tight direction. It goes a bit too fast for its own good, but it’s a truly epic film that takes the historical war movie to another level — all the more so because it actually happened.
As the introduction tells us, the Spartans were the ultimate warrior people. Babies were inspected for weakness or faults, and killed if they had any; as they were growing up, they were taught and toughened by a savage regimen. Their only true hope was to “die beautifully” for their land.
A Persian messenger arrives, telling King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) that the god-king Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) wants the Spartans to bow to him. Leonidas’ response: shove the Persians into a pit. But before he can go to war, he must consult the corrupt priesthood of Ephors and their beautiful Oracle. She predicts that Sparta will fall and the gods forbid war at the approach of the Carneaian festival — courtesy of a hefty bribe from a Spartan traitor.
So Leonidas takes out three hundred of his best men, along with their nervy Arcadian allies, and begin trouncing the Persians. But they are being sabotaged, both by a hunchbacked outcast and by a treacherous councilor, whom Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey) is battling. And so at Thermopylae, Leonidas prepares for a final battle against the monstrous Persian Army — knowing that their story of freedom will live on.
This is not a “sensitive” movie where you have any appreciation for the bad guys — it’s a glorification of three hundred soldiers who died for their land and freedom. It just wouldn’t work otherwise. It doesn’t blindly adore the Spartans — we see their darker side in their “weed out the weak” policy — but it does appreciate them. They respect and care about each other, and Leonidas is as kind as he can be even to Ephialtes, the traitor.
And it’s done in a manner appropriate to its comic book origins — grimy, bloody and epic, but with a stylized look that is almost like CGI. The battles are shockingly good, and full of fantasy-ish creations like the monstrous creatures or the silver-masked Immortals. Even a wall of corpses. But we also get some beautiful visuals as well — roiling seas, sunlit battlefields, Spartan cities, and the drugged Oracle in her white veil.
While the script gets a bit over-the-top at times, it’s hard not to be moved by dialogue that can be darkly funny (“It’s just an eye. The gods saw fit to grace me with a spare”) or stirring (“He did not wish tribute, nor song, or monuments or poems of war and valor. His wish was simple: “Remember us.” That was his hope, should any free soul come across that place, in all the countless centuries yet to be”).
Butler and Headey are simply great as Leonidas and Gorgo — they’re both strong, passionate and fearless, and they both do a great job in their separate storylines. But the movie is filled with good performances — David Wenham as the narrator, Dominic West as a disgusting traitor, Santoro as the decadent, arrogant god-king, and many others.
This version contains both the regular and high-def versions, and apparently contains a small wealth of extras — featurettes about the history of Thermopylae and the 300 Spartans, photo galleries, info on the Spartan culture, commentary, deleted scenes, and info on Frank Miller (who, of course, wrote the original graphic novel). It’s sort of the decorative icing on a cake — not necessary to enjoy the film, but it makes it just a bit better.
“300″ is a unique, stirring, stunning movie that pushes the action-movie envelope, and gives a thrilling edge to a real-life story of overwhelming power. A brilliant movie.
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|“Special Edition” is theft…,
…of your money!
Warner Bros should be ashamed of putting out such a bare bones “special edition” and spreading it out over 2 discs (they easily could have fit these tiny “making of” episodes onto one disc.
The commentary track is full of silence and the “making of” and “webisodes” are a few minutes a piece and do not go in depth nor do they go deep into the technical aspects of how they made 300. (One of the most interesting scenes with the Oracle isn’t even covered in the making of and is barely mentioned in the commentary.
300 is a fantastic movie but it is a shame that a better special edition couldn’t have been made.
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|Wait Until You See the Car,
I won’t be cliche and tell you that your mission, should you choose to accept it… You know the rest.
Without a doubt, this is the best of all the Mission Impossible movies, including the original. Over the years, the MI franchise had become something of a cartoon of itself. So, it seemed appropriate that Brad Bird should be chosen to helm MI4 Ghost Protocol. As the Oscar winning director of the Incredibles, he made animated cartoons seem very real. Now, he’s made Mission Impossible real again. He’s injected a fresh breathe of confidence, humor and camaraderie into a series that sorely needed it. He’s not only re-invigorated the franchise, he’s re-invigorated Tom Cruise’s career as an action star. With this movie, Tom is back on top.
You’ll notice that there is a lot of the Incredibles in MI4 Ghost Protocol. That’s not only because of Brad Bird’s influence, but because the Incredibles was a humorous homage to action films. You could say it’s the IMF meets the Incredibles. That is not a deterrent. It’s a tribute to a director who can think outside the proverbial action box. This isn’t the same old, same old. The movie is much more upbeat and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Which works to its advantage.
Tom Cruise has never been better. This isn’t the brooding Ethan Hunt of previous movies. He’s a man on a mission. pardon the pun. To make a complicated story short, the IMF has been shut down and disavowed after a massive explosion at the Kremlin. That explosion is blamed on the IMF. But, it was nothing more than a diversion to steal a nuclear detonator by a terrorist hell bent on ensuring peace on Earth by starting a nuclear war between the super powers. It’s up to Ethan, and his cobbled together disavowed team, to hunt down the nuclear terrorist and save the world. simple.
Once you have suspended disbelief, sit back and enjoy. The cast is uniformly excellent. Jeremy Renner plays an IMF analyst suit (with more than desk skills at his disposal) reluctantly recruited into the field. Paula Patton is the former team leader of a mission gone bad sent to rescue Hunt. Simon Pegg is back as Benji, the computer/technology genius. While it may seem like he’s there just for comic relief, he is an integral part of the team. There are no dull moments. The movie has a quick pace, fun one liners and mind blowing special effects filmed in glorious IMAX. Paula Patton and Jeremy Renner both have sensational action sequences. Tom Cruise isn’t the only actor who gets to jump off buildings. And if this movie is any indication, Jeremy Renner is going to make a fantastic Jason Bourne. This wasn’t a vehicle for just Tom. Everyone gets a piece of the action. It’s a true throw back to the original TV series.
and wait until you see the car. James Bond would trade in his Aston Martin for it.
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|Well made thriller from director Brad Bird (“The Incredibles”) bodes well for his future as a director,
When Tom Cruise lost it a couple of years back it impacted my ability to enjoy the films he was in and for a long while I avoided them. Having said that, I enjoyed “Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol” and found it to be the most consistently entertaining of the four films produced in the “MI” film series. Bringing director Brad Bird (“The Incredibles”, “The Iron Giant”)best known for his CGI films made with Pixar was a wise move–Bird proved that he had the ability to make an exceptional thriller with involving characters even when they were CG and now he had the chance to prove he could do the same with live action thrillers.
SPOILERS:
The convoluted plot boils down to this: Ethan Hunt has been disavowed due to an operation that went awry and he’s forced to work with an mysterious analyst named Brandt(Jeremey Renner “The Hurt Locker” and forthcoming “Avengers”), Jane (Paula Patton “Jumping the Broom”)and the only member of his team that he’s worked with before Benji (Simon Pegg “Paul”, “Star Trek”) now a field operative. Hunt’s team can’t rely on anybody within IMF because the organization is being blamed for the destruction of a military facility in the Kremlin. Hunt discovers that Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist of the original “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”)a dangerous terrorist has active launch codes for a Russian nuclear device and plans on using it to start a nuclear war.
END OF SPOILERS:
A well made thriller with some truly astonishing action set pieces including a scene where Hunt must scale the tallest building in the world in Dubai, “Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol” truly delivers on its promise and is, quite possibly, the best of the four films that Tom Cruise as starred in and co-produced. The writing by André Nemec and Josh Applebaum (both “Alias” alumni working with “Alias” creator J.J. Abrams as co-producer of the film)focuses on developing the plot not so much the characters in the film (although a cursory attempt is made with the IMF team)but then these type of films aren’t about developing character as much as it is to create just enough to help the plot fly.
The action is nonstop in “M:IGP” and fans looking for a spectaular display of explosions/action sequences won’t be disappointed. The main flaw of the film is the lack of character development and the use of familiar faces (Jeremey Renner, Josh Holloway in a cameo, Tom Wilkinson)to help flesh out characters that aren’t given much screen time to develop but, as I mentioned earlier, that’s really not the point of “M:IGP”.
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|Fun and exciting.,
Ethan Hunt is forced to go underground with his team in order to prevent a Russian nuclear missile from striking the United States. Due to the sensitivity of Russian and American relations, he is performing his mission with only a wink-wink from his superiors. This one contains the requisite action and excitement and is the best film in this trilogy since the original. The storyline is not overly complex, and I found myself invested in the action, at times feeling the thrills of the onscreen excitement right there in my seat. This is a fun movie to watch.
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