where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Thursday, March 6th, 2014
show: 10:00 p.m. Advanced Screening
costs: $10.75 Ticket + $6.75 Super Nachos w/ Everything + $5.10 large Powerade Mountain Berry Blast = $22.60
auditorium: 3
seat: 4th row ( counting from the front ), 6th column ( counting from the left )
2nd time
where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Monday, March 31st, 2014
show: 5:25 p.m.
costs: $7.75 Ticket + $5.10 Snack Pack = $12.85
auditorium: 9
seat: 2nd row ( counting from the front ), 8ht column ( counting from the left )
synopsis/overview: After god-king Xerxes' ( Rodrigo Santoro ) overwhelming army annihilates the 300 Spartans led by King Leonidas, he sets his mind on conquering all of Greece with the aid of his vengeful and ruthless Persian naval commander, Artemisia ( Eva Green ). But an Athenian general, Themistokles ( Sullivan Stapleton ), stands in his way.
noteworthy scenes: 1.) "Glorious mistake"; 2.) "God-king"; 3.) Spartan unarmed combat training; 4.) "We are not interested in a united Greece"; 5.) Greek woman; 6.) Spy; 7.) Rape and murder; 8.) Vengeful vow; 9.) "Such is my plan"; 10.) "Don't get killed on the first day"; 11.) Ram; 12.)Report; 13.) Rocks; 14.) "Why didn't you just say that to begin with"; 15.) Making love with the enemy; 16.) Oil; 17.) "Burden of my command"; 18.) Messenger; 19.) King Leonidas' sword; 20.) "Now sit on your throne and watch the battle from the safety I've provided you"; 21.) "With rather die on our feet than live on our knees"; 22.) "Your father's last words"; 23.) "My answer's still, No"; 24.) "You fight harder than you f-ck"; and 25.) "A wind of Freedom. A wind of Justice. A wind of Vengeance."
favorite scenes: I liked the naval battle scenes.
I liked the sword fights.
And I liked the Making Love With The Enemy scene.
audience reaction: The audience liked it. But nobody gave it a "Hands Clapper" ending.
recommendation: I liked it enough. Go see this if you're a fan of the first sequel.
spoiler alert! Wait a minute, this movie doesn't say anything about a giant horse! How'd Xerxes end-up with a giant horse? I really don't think that King Xerxes ever got around to decapitating King Leonidas in real history. There is too much blood splattered all over the place. The swords had no blood grooves, yet they came out of their victims' bodies way too easily. That bit about King Xerxes peeling-off the skin from the chicken drumstick before eating the drumstick was just way too funny for me. I mean, chicken skin is actually tasty and I am quite sure that nobody watched his/her figure 2,500 years ago by sticking to a strict high protein/low fat/low carb diet. And what was up with the size of that drumstick? If this movie's King Xerxes was a giant, then that must have been one giant chicken, too--and I am tempted to say that it was a turkey drumstick b-u-t ... turkeys are native to The Americas and were not introduced to Persia yet. The character Artemisia in this movie is mostly fiction. But there was actually a real Queen Artemisia who was an ally and trusted adviser of King Xerxes.
fyi: Actually, King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans were aided by more than 1,500 fighting men from outlying areas who were sympathetic to his cause and who stayed with him to the end. Still, even though the Spartans were vastly outnumbered by the Persians, that battle fought in Thermopylae so long ago is forever immortalized in the hearts and minds of successive generations of soldiers.
Here's an interesting bit of trivia for you: King Leonidas probably borrowed his "last stand" strategy from the Israelites. You see, supposedly, the Philistines mentioned in the Bible were originally seafaring people from Greece. And, approximately 600 years before the Battle at Thermopylae, the Philistines were on the receiving end of this very costly and humiliating lesson from the hand of none other than Samson, who slew 1,000 Philistines in one day using nothing but a donkey's jawbone for a weapon ( Judges 15:16 )!
It is believed that this King Xerxes is the one identified as King Ahasuerus in the Bible's/Tanak's Book of Esther, about an Israelite woman whom he married after his defeat in Greece.
Had King Xerxes defeated the Greeks, the men of the world would have worn pants sooner!
And King Xerxes would have introduced the Western World to Zoroastrianism, a Persian religion that is in many ways similar to Christianity.
As for Themistokles, he fled to Persia in his later years after he lost favor with his countrymen. He presented himself to King Artaxerxes, the son of King Xerxes, himself, and persuaded the Persian king to accept his services after he spent an entire year familiarizing himself with the Persian language, customs and traditions ( talk about having BIG Cojones! ). This boldness so impressed King Artaxerxes that he made Themistokles a high-ranking general in his army. But a time came for Persia to engage Greece in another war; and when Themistokles realized that he would not be able to mount a victorious charge against the Greeks he killed himself. And this impressed King Artaxerxes even more!
word of advice: "United, we stand. Divided, we fall."
tidbits: I wanted to see this at the EDWARDS FAIRFIELD STADIUM 16 & I-MAX in Fairfield, CA, for the I-Max 3-D show but I couldn't have gotten there in time for it because I got off from work late.
2nd tidbits: I never got around to seeing this movie in either 3-D or I-Max 3-D. Darn it!
I got a private message on Facebook from my brother earlier today to let me know that one of our aunts passed away last night after having endured an illness for a long time. I will have to cut short my reunion with my cousin and his family to attend the funeral service.
My aunt was a tall, beautiful woman who stayed unwed. My eldest sister at one time tried to hook our aunt up with one of her brothers-in-law. But nothing came of it.
Before going to see this movie, I stopped by the Goin' Postal Shop at the Food Maxx Shopping Center on the corner of Tuolumne and Redwood Streets to drop-off some bill payments.
Then I went to the MacDonald's Restaurant at the Target Shopping Center to start this blog.
After the movie, I swung by Hancock Fabrics at the Target Shopping Center to find a replacement for the zipper pull on one of my jackets. But I didn't know that such a tiny thing would cost so much: $5.50 to $6.95. Ridiculous! I'll just improvise and use a paper clip, instead. But I'll cover the paper clip with duct tape to make it look fancier and classier--ha, ha, ha.
Then, I walked a few doors down to buy some stuff ( laundry stain remover and mini laser flashlight, etc. ) at the Dollar Tree Store. Weather permitting, I'm gonna use the mini laser flashlight to fool some pigeons when I go to hang around in San Francisco with my cousin and his family the next few days.
And I drove on over to the 99-Cent Only Store on Springs Road to buy some more stuff ( Easter Chocolate Candy for myself, etc. ). But I forgot to buy a gallon of water, which was what I wanted to get in the first place! ( Can you say, "Senior moment?" )
Then, I drove a few blocks down to have a light dinner at a MacDonald's Restaurant near Rollingwood. While having my dinner ( salad, yogurt/fruit parfait and sweet tea w/ lemonade ), I received a private message on Facebook from a nephew who acknowledged my condolence and who said that he will let me know when the funeral service will be.
On my way home, I stopped for some gas at the Chevron Gas Station on the corner of Springs Road and Oakwood to take advantage of my two Safeway Gas Rewards since they would be expiring at midnight, otherwise.
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In Greece, a fop returns to a fancy tailor's shop with his brand-new and expensive but just-ripped-at-the-seam custom-tailored pair of pants.
Upon seeing it, the tailor exclaims, "You rip a-this!"
To which, the fop answers, "You mend a-this!"
( Let it sink in s-l-o-w-l-y .... )
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