I finally got to watch the movie 300. I loved it. Classic Frank Miller darkness with some really fantastic battle scenes and great artwork. While it was a live action film, it almost had that video game look to it. Gerard Butler does a really good job as King Leonidas. A very enjoyable and entertaining movie.

Did Irish pay for dinner?

Oh haha :D, be careful for Geoff might ban ya!

Nah, I'm all about having fun WITHOUT crossing the line.

Besides, me and Cardi are brothers from another mother.

No. Not Irish, but someone very close to you.

Some people should heed their own warnings.

Someone just loaned us their copy of 300, but we haven't watched it yet. Glad to know that you enjoyed it.

And if those warnings don't apply to me?

Glad you loved it DC. I'd also recommend seeing DEATH PROOF when it is released on DVD in September and PLANET TERROR in October. Unfortunately, you probably won't be able to view the entire GRINDHOUSE experience until they re-release the DVDs next year some time.

Make sure you all see BLADES OF GLORY on dvd in a couple of weeks.

I need to. I wasn't able to see it in theaters. This week I grabbed DISTURBIA and TMNT. Next week I'm looking forward to FRACTURE and VACANCY

If you're into that Spartan / Roman type era stuff, and like action movies, then you will enjoy this one.

It's a fictionalized version of the real life Battle of Thermopylae.

Irish, FRACTURE was worth the price of admission for Anthony Hopkins alone. You'll like it.

Sweet, thanks for the heads up. That and VACANCY looked interesting from the previews but I decided to wait for the DVD. I was planning on seeing FRACTURE in theaters, but I saw the DVD release was so close to it being released in theaters, again I decided to hold off.

THE 36TH CHAMBER OF THE SHAOLIN
(First Viewing)

The anti-Ching patriots, under the guidance of Ho Kuang-han, have secretly set up their base in Canton, disguised as school masters. During a brutal Manchu attack, Lui manages to escape and devotes himself to learning the martial arts in order to seek revenge. In a short period of time he masters the deadly use of his fists, feet and palms, along with such weapons as swords, sticks, and lances. With his learning complete, he takes on the Manchus.

I don't know if I necessarily agree this is the greatest martial arts movie of all-time. It's up there with ENTER THE DRAGON, and call me old fashion but I prefer Bruce Lee. However, the training scenes in this film were some of the best and exciting I've ever seen. There's no shortage of fight scenes in this film!

FLASH GORDON
(First Viewing)

Flash Gordon is an American football player who along with Dale Arden are returning to New York City after a long vacation, until the plane they are passengers on crashes into the laboratory of Russian scientist Dr. Hans Zarkov. Both Flash and Dale become unwilling passengers on-board Zarkov's rocket-ship as Zarkov sets a course for the planet Mongo. Arriving on Mongo, Flash and his companions find the planet is under the ruler-ship of the evil Emperor Ming the Merciless and Ming is attacking Earth with natural disasters as he bids to destroy Earth. Realising that Earth and the human race is in mortal danger, Flash decides to unite the kingdoms of Mongo and combine the forces of rivals Prince Baron and Prince Vultan to rescue Dale, who is to become Ming's wife and defeat Ming and save Earth from annihilation.

Believe it or not, if they ever remake FLASH GORDON, they'll have a standard to set it against. I thought this would be just another cheesy sci-fi movie. And even though it is slightly dated (1980), it was really a wonderful picture. I'd say it was a cross between BARBARELLA and MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE. Sam J. Jones just visually seem to fit as Flash Gordon and Max von Sydow was very enjoyable as Emperor Ming. Getting back to when the film was made, for 27 years old, I don't think this movie needs much of an undate visually with today's technology. Sure I'd love to see what they would come up with, but in doing so, I just feel the original would lose some of its appeal. Any other fans of FLASH out there?

You know, Hopkins is threatening to become the new Al Pacino, in that he takes movies that let him dominate the hell out of everything in sight this side of GODZILLA.

Not that is necessarily a bad thing. Hopkins would deserve the money.

WILD IN THE STREETS (1968) - ***

Only in the hippie-'60s or the drug-fueled '70s could such crazy stuff get funding and released to theatres, much less make a considerable profit.

In a way, this is the typical American International Picture, the most greatest of the "B-movie" studios (including Hammer Films & New World). On one hand, it was advertized and sold as a cheap teensploitation movie to make good money off the angry kids who hated the old-authority. Hell, in the pivotal year of hell that was 1968 for America, every extreme that could result of that year is presented.

Yet its made and funded by the same "old" people, who seemed legitimately scared that the hippies would be the anarchy that ends the world.

So its fun to watch such a fantasy to see both dimensions pumped into the narrative, but its better and smarter than it should have been. Plus, like alot of those AIP efforts, you have a great actor hanging around to make the damn thing work....like Hal Holbrook as the politician who inadvertedly sparks off the revolution this side of Franz von Papen.

I mean, the crazy s*** we get from this movie. We have a pop star-turned-President who only seems to complain about the old people in power, and his 4 bastard kids he pays child support for. We get a young Richard Pryor (!) as his drummer. The angry youth get the Constitution remedied to allow 14 year olds to vote and run for Federal Office.

And how they get the votes? Why they spike the D.C. water supply with LSD.

But all that means nothing compared to my favorite bit of insanity: The concentration camps for everyone over 30 years old, with people shipped in Peace sign-bearing buses, to which said old people are in a drug-faze for the rest of their days.

You know, like any other nursing home in our real world.

Ultimately, the pop star-President becomes dictator of America, and the one right idea that I liked honestly was the premise that he and his co-horts become the new abusive authority, with a new generation that's ready to take him down, in a continued never-ending cycle of revolution this side of Latin America.

Really, now we're stuck with these idiotic Direct-to-DVD movies that are gutter-jobs without any experimental smarts or crazyness that we would get from the Roger Corman/AIP days. That is what I miss the most, when the "B-movies" shown at the Drive-In actually beat the big-studio pictures at drive-ins.

Hell, look at the poster. Such an awesome poster, when these days we get this "Floating Heads" crap.

I think what they had in mind for this movie was to test Ryan Gosling's acting chops against Hopkins, to see how he'd hold up.

He was okay, but as you say, Hopkins dominated the hell out of the movie.

And no, it wasn't a bad thing.

I thought of writing a review of Seventh Seal, as I promised. But I am not in a mood for that because I saw another Bergman movie that is far more powerful and impacting than Seventh Seal.

Autumn Sonata ****
A successful piano artist(Ingrid Bergman) visits her daughter (Liv Ullmann) after seven years. The movie deals with the eruption of hatred between them that was always present, but never expressed. Bergman is able to go deep into the relationship and bring out the inner-most feelings of the characters. Very touching and powerful. Liv Ullmann's performance is just outstanding. Great music. Highly recommended.

WHITE LIGHT/BLACK RAIN 1/2
(First Viewing)

WHITE LIGHT/BLACK RAIN looks at the reality of nuclear warfare with first-hand accounts from those who survived and whose lives were forever changed by the atomic bomb.

A great firsthand and, at times, powerful look at those who survived the atomic bombings of Japan. Survivors give their details of the loved ones they lost and how they were able to survive. They also provide their injuries to hopefully deter further use of nuclear bombs. What I found to be most disturbing is the fact that the "atomic bomb survivors" as they're known as, are outcasts in their country due to their diseases, illments, deficiencies, etc.

Ocean's 13 *
This is a good comeback from the incredibly stupid ocean's 12. I liked this one as much as I liked the first part. My favorite character in all the 3 movies is that of Brad Pitt. Al Pacino is okay, nothing great. There a lot of funny scenes, especially the ones in Mexico.

Aqua Teen hunger force movie.

This hilarious.I love the subtle humour.
Any one else a fan?

Like the TV show, need to see the movie.

But you know what would be a cooler movie?

VENTURE BROS.

One thing that Soderbergh learned from O12 was that he cut out some of the fat.

Though honestly, I still swear that each of the OCEAN'S movies should have only be consistent with Clooney/Pitt/Damon, which all 3 have to recruit a whole new gang of robbers for each picture. You know, make things interesting. Give cool-but-not-famous guys a shot, like say William Macy or Bruce Campbell or Will Patton, so forth.

THE POSEIDON EXPLOSION
(First Viewing)

The movie is inspired by a accident that happened in the 1970 near Galati, Romania. A team of firefighters is sent to an abandoned, burning ship, only to find out the ship is loaded with 70,000 bags of fertilizer, which explodes at 300 degrees Celsius, making the ship a giant bomb that threatens to take out the whole city of Galati.

I was surprised to see an actual grindhouse film being based on a true story. It's a shame they didn't get a better display

Aguirre, The Wrath of God ***
German movie by director Werner Herzog. This is the first time I watched his movie. The movie is about a 16th century spanish commander and his hunger for power and fame. The movie ends as a tragedy with all his men dead. It is shot almost like a documentary with no background music. If you notice carefully, the director cheats in the end and includes some background music to produce the desired effect You can compare it to dead man or apocalypse now, in the sense that it is about a journey both physically and symbolically.

EARTHQUAKE 7.9
(First Viewing)

Seizmologist Hoichi loses touch with his family when he predicts that there will be an earthquake in Tokyo of greater magnitude than the one in 1923, which his father predicted. Because of this he starts seeing another woman, who already has a boyfriend. Hoichi's wife wants to meet her before she will grant a divorce. Eventually, the earthquake he predicted does come, which changes all relationships and exemplifies the character of the Japanese.

Too much of a love story for a destruction or for that matter a grindhouse film. Still, the destruction scenes of Tokyo were enjoyable in a GODZILLA sort of way.

Has anybody seen the Movie Skinwalkers yet? if so please let me know what it was like thanks

Finding Forester ***
Directed by Gus van Sant. This movie is inspirational in the way "Goodwill Hunting" is and the plot is also loosely similar. Though similar themes have been explored numerous times before, this movie deals with it in a non contrived way and there lies its strength.
Random Related: There is something about youth that people realize only after they are through it.

ps: I might include a Random Related section in my reviews (these are becoming shorter and shorter for better or for worse). It is not really about the movie, but about what responses/thoughts the movie evoked in me while watching it. In a way, it is a personal column, not necessarily something that will make sense