Movie review 3: Beware of sweet girls offering advice at the video store!

 Cast iron plant holder with mini roses. Forgive the bad editing job- I'm still learning Lightroom and was playing around with this image to give you kind of an idea how somewhat the movie 300 looked the entire time viewing it. The cast iron planter resembles the feel of the  Spartans shields and the red roses were like the Spartan's capes.

Okay, it's Valentines evening and my husband and I enjoy a nice dinner out and then we decide to, instead of going out to a movie, to rent a movie.  I know I have to complete this movie review assignment in school before I leave for Palm Springs tomorrow. My husband and I are "rummaging around" in the video store looking for a unique flick that has some relation to photography or cinematography. I'm looking for "Pleasantville", as someone had suggested. I go to ask if they have it and the girl says "sorry we don't have that one".  Completely perplexed I go wondering the shelves once more looking. I notice the movie Sweeny Todd ,  I think - hey it's a musical, looks like they've done something to it photographically, maybe it's an option!  My hand no sooner touched the case and a sweet looking employee says to me :

" If you're looking for something unique with cinematography- you should try "300"."

Me: "Oh really?"

Her: "Yeah, I don't think you'll like Sweeny Todd, I had to see the movie twice in the theater because I couldn't stomach the blood the first time." 

Me: " Wow, that bad, eh?"

Her: " Ya, 300 has really cool CG graphics and the blood doesn't seem as real."

Me: "Oh??" ( I'm trying to figure out what CG means quite quickly)

Her: " Yeah, there is a special feature where they talk about how the movie was made in it as well." ( I'm thinking she recognized the perplexed look on my face  as to what CG meant).

Me: "Okay, I'll take it ???? ( I was still obviously obsessing about what CG meant and totally missed the part about blood.)

The only thing I have to say after viewing the movie was that red roses, wasn't the only red thing I saw on this Valentines day! The movie is a story about King Leonidas and 300 Spartans in a retelling of their heroic battle of Thermopylae against the Xerxes and his Persian army. I love Greek history, but the war part was a little much. The cinematography was really cool I must admit. The film basically uses a desaturated/ high contrast feel to the movie to make it appear as a graphic novel. I think their choice to film/edit this way was wise. It really emphasized  the metal of their helmets and shields, which I found out later were actually plastic. They also used this desaturated background as a backdrop to emphasize the red in the warrior's capes. The contrast levels where superbly used in the clouds to create drama and an atmosphere of foreshadowing (guess who dies). The contrast also works to emphasize the physique of these men who were raised only to be soldiers, and how important that (physical perfection)  was to the Spartan formation techniques in times of war.  The special feature was a little slow- 4 guys who made the movie, talking while the movie is playing-( Great you get to watch it all over again). Who knows- I did learn the shields where plastic! And better yet, I learned what CG, CGR, and ADR all stand for!

I would rate this movie as a 2.5, for cinematography and special effects 4 (anyone who can take 6 actors and make them look like an army deserves at least that), and a 0 out of 5 for a Valentines movie with your sweetheart!