Movie Review Sunday

In the last couple days, I've seen three movies, so I figure now is a good time to talk about them.

1) 300

As expected, I didn't think much of this movie. I knew the style it was shot in, I knew the storyline, and I knew that I don't normally like ancient war movies as much as most people. (See: Gladiator, Braveheart) Having said all that, it was a tolerable movie. I didn't give up on it. What I found more interesting than the movie itself was the history behind it. The movie is based on the story of the Battle of Thermopylae, between the Spartans and the Persians. However, depending on who you consult, the version in the movie may not necessarily be completely factual.

A quick search for 'truth about 300' led me to this site which apparently belongs to an Iranian-American who is filming a movie based on the life of Cyrus, who was king of the Persians before Xerxes. Anyway, he has an intriguing take on the battle that I'll leave up to you to read.

Back to the movie for a sec: I give it 2/4 stars.

2) Vantage Point

We went to the theater yesterday afternoon to watch Vantage Point, starring everybody and their brother. It was a pretty interesting movie. The premise of the story is the assassination of the president from 6 or 8 different characters points of view. So basically, you see the same 25 minutes of time from a bunch of different angles. It was a cool concept that worked really well for the first hour or so. It eventually got to the point where you were wondering how many times they were going to do it. The ending was great and, in the end, it was totally worth the wait.

I'd give this one 3/4 stars. If you're looking for a movie to check out in the theaters, this one is a winner.

3) Night at the Museum

And yes, yesterday afternoon, there was nothing better on TV than Night at the Museum on HBO. I'm not always the hugest Ben Stiller fan, but it was a cute movie. I found myself laughing out loud a few times, even though I felt bad doing it. Robin Williams is pretty funny as Teddy Roosevelt, and Owen Wilson is makes a convincing tiny cowboy. Aside from that, it's a typical happy ending movie. Not really many surprises.

It's a decent weekend flick for sitting on the couch. I'd give it 2/4 stars.