Victory or Death!

That's the old battle cry from the 1986 classic The Last Starfighter which would have sounded absolutely marvelous in the big screen adaptation of Frank Miller's 300. I got out of the cinema about an hour ago, and I can't believe it took me this long to log on and tell you to go see it. (Had to watch the Illini lose first. Awesome.)

Is it bloody? Yes. Is it great Spartan war time story telling? Yes. Is it worth your $8-10? Absolutely! There's a fine crop of actors in this one, too...even if they don't have a lot of lines. (I mean, c'mon, there was a lot of killin' to do, so you can't blame them for the lack o' lines.) The whole time I felt guilty for enjoying the movie so much, because it really is just a war-and-glory-kill-'em-up-epic, but it was somehow more than that. The direction was superb, and this was a true underdog story. 300 vs. 1,000,000? How can the numbers be more at odds than that? And, since I've never taken Greek history courses, I was enthralled by this well known tale that I had no idea about. Joseph, the history expert, said it was historically accurate, so that's good enough for me.

I'm lovin' the recent spawn of "comic book movies," and I'm glad when they are done so well. If you still haven't seen V for Vendetta or Sin City, you owe it to yourself to do so. These movies are more often than not splendidly directed and brought to life with love, care, and respect of the material from the directors.

However, if you want to experience a comic book movie and are thinking about catching Ghost Rider, wait for the rental. Admittedly, it is fun to watch Nicolas Cage with a southern accent riding around on a fiery motorcycle, but it's not $8-10 fun. Yeah, you read me right: I saw Ghost Rider in the theater, but I got the cheap ticket day fare, so I don't feel as bad. Plus, I had even more fun makin' fun when Sam Elliott and Wes Bentley hit the screen. Oh, baby!

Where did I start? Oh, yeah: GO SEE 300!