michael-stead
Joined Nov 2004
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michael-stead's rating
The battle of Thermopylae was one of the most significant of the ancient world, giving definition to the notion of Greek strength. It was a tale that was retold to emphasise the bravery of the 300 Spartan warriors. The film does the job of retelling the battle beautifully, and conveying its importance.
Each shot is beautiful and watching the film is like looking at a succession of film posters. The battle scenes were gruesomely beautiful, but more importantly very well edited, so that the narrative of the battle was easy to follow.
The film clearly owes a lot to recent cinema milestones, the use of the rhino and elephants and the appearance of the Persians, came straight from Lord of the Rings, and the slow motion shots follow clearly from The Matrix.
The film was also very funny at moments, where it intended to be. I wasn't sure why there were subtitles - perhaps people felt that the English accents would be hard to understand, but I thought everyone enunciated very well.
The film had the unremitting ferocity of The Passion of the Christ, and did not set out to question the morality of the protagonists, but such concerns are probably best left to documentary makers. 300 has dramatic impact and stunning imagery, it deserves to be counted as a masterpiece of film-making.
Each shot is beautiful and watching the film is like looking at a succession of film posters. The battle scenes were gruesomely beautiful, but more importantly very well edited, so that the narrative of the battle was easy to follow.
The film clearly owes a lot to recent cinema milestones, the use of the rhino and elephants and the appearance of the Persians, came straight from Lord of the Rings, and the slow motion shots follow clearly from The Matrix.
The film was also very funny at moments, where it intended to be. I wasn't sure why there were subtitles - perhaps people felt that the English accents would be hard to understand, but I thought everyone enunciated very well.
The film had the unremitting ferocity of The Passion of the Christ, and did not set out to question the morality of the protagonists, but such concerns are probably best left to documentary makers. 300 has dramatic impact and stunning imagery, it deserves to be counted as a masterpiece of film-making.
At the time this was just viewed as a gentle skit, with the chance to see a few old Doctors, who agreed to appear because of the charity aspect, when there was no chance of formally arranging for them to appear in the show even if it had been running then.
Within the bounds of their existing dispositions (Tom and Jon both being irretrievably dotty, and Peter having lost the peachy bloom of his youth) everyone played the show for real and even though they were only brief, there were some lovely performances from Louise Jameson and Lalla Ward, as well as the other supporting cast.
Outside of the context of the skit, this item has a wider cultural impact, as it brought together Doctor who at its most camp, with East Enders at it's most depressing and had the two realities created for the BBC interact in an absolutely serious manner. In many ways this was a Doctor Who episode rather than an East Enders one, although it fits equally well, or badly, into the continuity of each. East Enders is as much a work of fiction as Doctor Who, but represents television's vision of the ordinary, everyday, kitchen sink lives of its viewers the same viewers who would sit down to watch Doctor Who, so in some sense this is an example of how the BBC picture the Doctor walking out into the audience.
There had been an idea in the 1960s to have both the Beatles and the cast of Z-Cars turn up in Doctor Who and neither proposal quite worked. Here the mingling of East enders and Doctor Who was pulled off, and even though it was like fingers down a blackboard for fans at the time, it could prove to be a much more important cultural marker for media historians of the future.
As an adventure it just about held together and pressed forward to a conclusion, however for those fans who prefer to see plot holes, this is Doctor Who as Swiss Cheese.
Within the bounds of their existing dispositions (Tom and Jon both being irretrievably dotty, and Peter having lost the peachy bloom of his youth) everyone played the show for real and even though they were only brief, there were some lovely performances from Louise Jameson and Lalla Ward, as well as the other supporting cast.
Outside of the context of the skit, this item has a wider cultural impact, as it brought together Doctor who at its most camp, with East Enders at it's most depressing and had the two realities created for the BBC interact in an absolutely serious manner. In many ways this was a Doctor Who episode rather than an East Enders one, although it fits equally well, or badly, into the continuity of each. East Enders is as much a work of fiction as Doctor Who, but represents television's vision of the ordinary, everyday, kitchen sink lives of its viewers the same viewers who would sit down to watch Doctor Who, so in some sense this is an example of how the BBC picture the Doctor walking out into the audience.
There had been an idea in the 1960s to have both the Beatles and the cast of Z-Cars turn up in Doctor Who and neither proposal quite worked. Here the mingling of East enders and Doctor Who was pulled off, and even though it was like fingers down a blackboard for fans at the time, it could prove to be a much more important cultural marker for media historians of the future.
As an adventure it just about held together and pressed forward to a conclusion, however for those fans who prefer to see plot holes, this is Doctor Who as Swiss Cheese.
I found this to be absolutely enchanting. There is a richness to the cinematography reminiscent of the film Babe, making it super-real, and the special effects add a layer of beauty to the film, rather than being a distraction.
There is a strong narrative thread, based around two half-brothers, washed up on the shores of the island. You have to make the leap into believing that somehow this island exists - almost undiscovered - as a haven where dinosaurs and humans co-exist.
The drama is driven along by the fact that the brothers barely know each other, having been brought up by different mothers. As they search for their father, who was with them in a plane that crashed, their differences become exacerbated.
With the exception of a lone tyrannosaurus attack, the story steers clear of the usual dinosaurs; instead it showcases some that appear less often in modern films, such as the enormous ankylosaurs, who act as acolytes and guards on the island.
I found myself caught up in the magic as the brothers take a ride on a dinosaur bus to Waterfall City. One of the lovely conceits of the films is that dinosaurs and humans work with each other in a variety of different ways. It is through the interaction with dinosaurs that the brothers each go on a journey of self-discovery and development.
There are some plot twists along the way, some love stories, and a complex villain, played very well by David Thewlis. The drama is divided up into rather lengthy sections. I find them enthralling and have watched them several times, but you really need to set a large chunk of an afternoon or an evening aside to enjoy each part.
This is a very male-centred drama, the women tend to be brought on in supporting roles and sometimes the leading characters behave quite infuriatingly. However, even though you are, like the brothers, dropped in the deep end of the story, it all makes sense, all the important plot strands get resolved and you can come out of it wishing that the island was real.
There is a strong narrative thread, based around two half-brothers, washed up on the shores of the island. You have to make the leap into believing that somehow this island exists - almost undiscovered - as a haven where dinosaurs and humans co-exist.
The drama is driven along by the fact that the brothers barely know each other, having been brought up by different mothers. As they search for their father, who was with them in a plane that crashed, their differences become exacerbated.
With the exception of a lone tyrannosaurus attack, the story steers clear of the usual dinosaurs; instead it showcases some that appear less often in modern films, such as the enormous ankylosaurs, who act as acolytes and guards on the island.
I found myself caught up in the magic as the brothers take a ride on a dinosaur bus to Waterfall City. One of the lovely conceits of the films is that dinosaurs and humans work with each other in a variety of different ways. It is through the interaction with dinosaurs that the brothers each go on a journey of self-discovery and development.
There are some plot twists along the way, some love stories, and a complex villain, played very well by David Thewlis. The drama is divided up into rather lengthy sections. I find them enthralling and have watched them several times, but you really need to set a large chunk of an afternoon or an evening aside to enjoy each part.
This is a very male-centred drama, the women tend to be brought on in supporting roles and sometimes the leading characters behave quite infuriatingly. However, even though you are, like the brothers, dropped in the deep end of the story, it all makes sense, all the important plot strands get resolved and you can come out of it wishing that the island was real.