The Six Most Beautiful Minutes in the History of Cinema

Sancho Panza enters a cinema in a provincial city.  He is looking for Don Quixote and finds him sitting off to the side, staring at the screen.  The theater is almost full; the balcony - which is a sort of giant terrace - is packed with raucous children.  After several unsuccessful attempts to reach Don Quixote, Sancho reluctantly sits down in one of the lower seats, next to a little girls (Dulcinea?), who offers him a lollipop.  The screening has begun; it is a costume film: on the screen, knights in armor are riding along.  Suddenly, a woman appears; she is in danger.  Don Quixote abruptly rises, unsheathes his sword, rushes toward the screen, and, with several lunges, begins to shred the cloth.  The woman and the knights are still visible on the screen, but the black slash opened by Don Quixote's sword grows ever larger, implacably devouring the images.  IN the end, nothing is left of the screen, and only the wooden structure supporting it is visible.  The outraged audience leaves the theater, but the children on the balcony continue their fanatical cheers for Don Quixote.  Only the little girl down on the floor stares at him with disapproval.

What are we to do with our imaginations?  Love them and believe in them to the point of having to destroy and falsify them (this is perhaps the meaning of Orson Welles's films).  But when, in the end, they reveal themselves to be empty and unfulfilled, when they show the nullity of which they are made, only then can we pay the price for their truth and understand that Dulcinea - whom we have saved - cannot love us.  

In Bruges

This is nearly the best DVD rental I've seen this year, second only to 'Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee.'
If you can withstand a little Irish swearing... ok, A LOT of Irish swearing (it must be near impossible to find any footage without swearing in it), then you will be in for a treat.
With a cast of homophobic, racist, sexist, sizeist, anti-American, anti-European, anti-Tottenham, disability-mocking characters, this film has something to offend just about everyone. And therein lies it's surprising charm.
Seems there'd be no characters to really connect or empathize with (unless you're a hitman/gangster), but that's the beauty... the characters are superb!
The first half of the film is a salty odd-couple comedy, as we're invited into the aftermath of a botched hit involving Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson) as they're sent to Bruges (Belgium) to lie low for a while and sample the culture. The second half is a plunge into blood, doom and existential/spiritual metaphors (guilt, sin, redemption, the whole Christian bag of screams). And it's brilliant characterization that yokes the two together.

Admittedly, it's a sushi movie (you'll either love it or hate it). Absurdist, existential, ultraoffensive, ultraviolent comedies aren't everyone's bag, but in the saturated ghetto of gangster/caper films, In Bruges offers something completely unique.

RAMBO

Stallone revisits another of his iconic action heroes, ultimately to bring John Rambo full-circle and bid him good day... but not before he completely annihilates the Burmese army with a .50 caliber machine gun and a machete.
Motivated by the tug on hi...(read more)s last heart string by a sweet Christian missionary that he escorted into Burma with her team, Rambo is forced to accept himself for who he really is - the world's most perfect killing machine - as he returns upriver to rescue what remains of the missionary team after they are brutally captured and held prisoner.
After saving the day (there's really not much more to the story), Rambo returns to his home in Arizona, reminiscent of his initial stroll into the peaceful Oregon town in First Blood. As he approaches a beat-up, old, rusty mailbox the name on the side reads, R. Rambo - Rocky Rambo? Rambo Rambo? Who knows? We are left with the image of our noble, savage, battle-worn warrior returning to his roots as the peaceful theme of First Blood invites the credits to roll.
Bottom line: a LOT of killing; a LOT of blowing $#!+ up; and Stallone looks pretty stinkin' good for a senior citizen.
There is an underlying disturbing aspect to the film, however, and that's that the atrocities depicted in the film were not fabricated to develop the villain's character. Burma is one of the most war-torn, brutal environments on the planet, and nothing short of mass genocide is taking place there now. It gives this film (as opposed to the others' "Russians bad - Rambo Good; Vietnamese Bad - Killing Good) a sense of realistic relevance... something we haven't really engaged in the First Blood series until now.
If you have the stomach for it... meaning lots of exploding clouds of bloody red dust, and severed limbs, and innocent villagers being callously slaughtered... ok, if you have the stomach for that there is something wrong with you. The violence and one-sided domination of Rambo is actually almost humorous, bordering on the absurd... but what better way to say good-bye to our favorite ex-green beret-war vet-turned stick-fighting buddhist monk-repair man-rescuer?

LIVE FOR NOTHING or DIE FOR SOMETHING!

2008 Movie Preview

I know we're midway through month two of 2008, but it's not too late to mention some humdingers to watch out for. In no particular order and regardless of (UK) release dates:

1. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (May 22) - needs no commentary
   
2. Hellboy 2 (Aug 22)
3. Hancock (July 2)
4. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (June 27)
5. Rambo (Feb 22) - Rambo in Burma alongside Christian missionaries!!! Guaranteed to be the bloodiest First Blood yet.
   
6. Get Smart (Aug 15)
7. The Incredible Hulk (June 13) - this HAS to be better than the first dialogue-heavy dud.
8. Burn After Reading (Fall) - Two Coens brothers' movies in one year!!!
9. The Dark Knight (July 25) - will Heath Ledger's swan song as the Joker be his best???
10. The Happening (June 13) - M. Night Shyamalan returns... think there will be a twist?
11. Bond 22 (Nov 7) - rumor has it the Olsen twins are starring as Bond girls - ha!
12. Star Trek (Dec 26) - I'm not a Trekkie, but this is supposedly a return to the original storyline, and it's helmed by Alias/Lost creator J.J. Abrams.
13. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Nov 21)
14. Where the Wild Things Are (Oct 24) - Spike Jonze directing; Dave Eggers (Author: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius) writing - this should be an interesting children's adaptation of mad brilliance.
15. Vantage Point (Mar 7) - a presidential assassination seen from 8 different points of view, and a shootout scene to rival Heat's!
16. Sex and the City: The Movie - haha! Just kidding!

Also watch for:

1. In Bruges (Mar 7)
2. Pride and Glory (Mar 14)
3. Lars and the Real Girl (Mar 21)
4. 21 (Apr 11)
5. The X-Files 2 (Aug 11)
6. Eagle Eye (Sept 5)
7. Death Race (Sept 26)
8. Step Brothers (Sept 26)
9. How to Lose Friends and Alienate People (Oct 3)
10. Body of Lies (Winter)
11. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (to be confirmed)

Transformers

Even as a film... it's MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

It's doubtful that audiences went to see Transformers seeking the solace of art. Unless, of course, you consider an all-out, straight-up, kick-you-in-the-teeth, assault on your senses, CG-loaded explosion of full-fledged entertainment, art. In which case, the art was voluminous.

It shouldn't surprise you to find that the plot is absurd: a box (the Allspark), varying in size from a city block to a small television, with the power to reconfigure and animate machines into Transformers, has ended up on Earth. As have two opposing armies of super-robots bent on finding the box before the other. Caught in the middle of the maelstrom is plucky youngster, Sam Witwicky, whose great-grandfather's glasses have the imprint of a map to the box's location... Oh, sod it! No one came to see Michael Bay's latest cinematic eruption for the subtext. Here it is: Good robots fight bad robots and we get in the way. The end.

This is a story about gigantic alien sentient robots from outer space (originally Cybertron) who can disguise themselves as a Chevy Camaro, a fighter jet or a boombox. There are good ones and there are bad ones. The good ones are brave, loyal, self-sacrificing and want to preserve life. The bad ones are sinister, violent, self-serving and thrive on death and carnage. Combined with their size and firepower, these two juxtapositions create the recipe for mass destruction... and they unleash the majority of this destruction in downtown L.A.

I think the success of the film lies in its proclivity not to take itself too seriously. It may have been a risk, but Bay guides his film from the strict dominion of cool into the goofy, and it works. This is, after all, still a story based on a cartoon created to help a Japanese toy company sell a failing line of unique puzzle toys. As can be verified by the scene of 20-foot robots spilling about a suburban backyard like the Three Stooges, the film is entirely comfortable copping to its own silliness. In fact, well before the Autobots even appear in the film, the story is played out like a teen comedy. A pretty good one, too, thanks to relative newcomer, Shia LeBeouf. There's a point in the film where Michael Bay even takes a subtle pot-shot at himself when it can be heard by a streaking onlooker having just witnessed a meteor-like landing from one of the Transformers, "This is so much better than Armageddon!!!"

A film boasting arguably the most amazing CGI yet, it would be expected that the f/x were going to be the main star, but Bay did himself a huge favor by casting young Shia LeBeouf. A lot is abuzz about this guy right now so I won't linger, but in short, this kid can act. Described as a cross between Woody Allen and Tom Hanks, LeBeouf has all the makings of the next big thing.

If you can set aside the plausible, and understand that you're in for a big, brash, funny, dumb, childish, imperfect, but ridiculously exciting action-comedy, then I don't see how you won't enjoy this. It's a fast-paced, in your face thriller with great special f/x, likable characters (both man and machine), and all the explosions, gunfire and destruction you could want from a summer blockbuster.

McRating: 8.0

Film Review: Ocean's 13

Let me begin by giving this film its rating first. Ocean's 13 gets a 7.5 on entertainment value alone. Probably the best aspect of this film lies with the interplay between the main characters. This film succeeds thanks to its star-power. George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon are captivating together on-screen. It adds to the charm if you've ever watched an interview with them before. It's almost as if they're playing themselves in the film. These guys are really friends, and they really banter back-and-forth with one another.

Like all trilogies, this film has the benefit of capitalizing on what the audience already knows this crew is capable of. There is little to no character development necessary. They can even by-pass the necessary time and elements of setting up the big score.

O 13's only failure is that it plays out very predictably from the beginning, and despite another seemingly 'impossible job,' everything comes off flawlessly. Even when they try to misdirect with the occasional snag, it barely seems to interrupt their progress at all. Consider the need for a $30 million piece of equipment that resides in France. You blink, and they have it. And they still appear to be right on schedule. Some of their ploys even seem rudimentary: Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) enters a faux-bidding war with head bad guy, Willie Bank (Al Pacino), over a new casino game and Bank bites hard; Basher (Don Cheadle) impersonates a motorcycle stunt-man to distract Willie Bank when the only real threat to their scheme arises; and the ol' diamond switch-a-roo... well, let's just say that was as predictable as the sunrise.

Everyone knows what's going to happen and that's okay. No one expects a Sixth Sense ending. They expect to see a cool crew of dapper lads do what they do best, and that's where Ocean's 13 delivers.

Steven Soderbergh (director) is well on form, creating as cool an atmosphere as he's done since Out of Sight or Traffic.

McRating: 7.5

(I've also seen Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, but I'm not going to rate or review films that gross $400 million and everyone goes to see twice)

The Oates' Valor

The Oates' Valor is a 12-minute short film written and directed by Tim Thaddeus Cahill (27), an up-and-coming writer/director from southern California. The film was recently selected as one of 11 short-films to show at the 2007 Festival De Cannes. Prior to Cannes, the film was also an official selection at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.

I've known Tim since he was about 12 years old. My brother, Patrick McKenzie (27), worked as the Production Designer for the film.

The film is a glimpse into the struggles of fourth trombonist, Boyson Oates, as he flees home following several failed attempts at appeasing his father's militant demands.

To watch the trailer and to find out more about The Oates' Valor and Tim Cahill's other works, visit epistrophe films.

The Day the Earth Stood Stupid

Aldous Huxley has Brave New World.
Mike Judge has Idiocracy.

While BNW is considerably smarter, both share a strikingly similar dystopian vision of the future.

Mike Judge has built his career on stupidity, from his earliest creation of redneck simpleton, Inbred Jed, to the wildly popular MTV phenomenon that was Beavis And Butt-Head, to his cult hit Office Space (with the best ever use of the phrase "ass clown"). Idiocracy remains true to Judge's twit-themed criterion in its apocalyptic vision of a world gone dumb, based on the simple theory that people with lower IQs breed faster than eggheads. It's actually a plausible hypothesis to indulge. It's become all too common in society to hear that upwardly mobile cultural elites are postponing their plans to start a family until they get settled in their career, until they are financially more secure, or until the housing market stabilizes. Such factors don't seem to be influencing the middle to lower-class and thus, they continue to produce offspring at an alarming rate. It's Darwinism at it's purest. As the unintelligent begins exponentially outnumbering the intelligent, the fittest become the masses and thus, they are the ones that survive.

Luke Wilson's outstandingly average army man is at the center of Idiocracy as he is cryogenically frozen and wakes up 500 years in the future -- as the world's smartest man. He awakens to a world of digital clock towers, sofas with built-in toilet seats, a Gatorade-type sports drink that's bought out and replaced water, and the fast food and sex industries have merged (naturally).

The premise pretty much gives Judge free rein to attack anywhere he sees standards dropping and stupidity creeping in. He rips reality TV (with a show called Ow! My Balls! in which the central character's family jewels are repeatedly bludgeoned to a cacophony of laughter and cheers). Costco is a warehouse city, bigger and more stocked than could ever be necessary. And the President of the United States is sponsored by Mountain Dew. It's a rare thing when films feature anti-product placement.

Although the film itself doesn't even do the concept justice, it is a clever and gutsy comedy with something to say. I mean, how far off is this supposition, really? As audiences lap up 'comedies' such as Epic Movie, and Paris Hilton is glorified in all her folly, and people tune in intently to watch other people (with no apparent redeeming qualities to offer society) live out their lives on camera (and foolishly believe that it's 'reality'), are we not screaming toward a world gone dumb? I don't know that society will ever actually reach the depths of stupidity that sees entire irrigation units replace water with a power drink, but we are rapidly approaching a society that celebrates the deficient and abhors all things that don't include systematic neurological jolts that keep our adhd in check.

It's far from great, but depending on your mood, you'll likely find it at least mildly entertaining and thought provoking.

McRating: 6.0

Top 10 Comic Book Movies (Revised)

A slue of adapted-for-cinema graphic novels and comic book series have littered theaters for the past three decades, and several upcoming blockbusters set for release over the next year or so already in production, I thought it would be a good time to revisit my Top 10 Comic Book Movies list.

Agree, disagree, or indifferent, the following entries have proven to be more than just fodder for fanboys/girls and comic shop geeks. This is the lowdown on the best movies from the funkiest, funniest and coolest genre around.
Entries are not judged merely on their superior f/x or the accuracy of their adaptation, but again, their impact on cinema and the movie-going public at the time of their release. That's not to say that those attributes have been ignored, just not solely based upon.
I won't take the time or energy to breakdown each film in depth, but will give a satisfactory synopsis of each.

Here we go...

1. BATMAN BEGINS (2005): Although the previous four Batman releases thoroughly beat the Dark Knight franchise with the camp stick, this rendition redeems our hero by maintaining the same dark malevolence and coarse credibility that fuelled Frank Miller's revamp of the comic book franchise with The Dark Knight Returns (DC Comics, 1986). Despite the enigmatic title, this film gave us a cooler Batmobile, a killer cast and great villain in Cillian Murphy's Scarecrow.

2. 300 (2007): the latest adaptation of graphic novelist Frank Miller's creation based on the legendary Battle of Thermopylae. Championed by its makers as "Gladiator meets Sin City," the cinematic rendition of 300 is ferociously loyal to its bronze-and-crimson-colored graphic predecessor. This opulent, brutal and bloody declaration of discipline and belligerence may be far removed from the reality of the actual battle (although some historians number the invading force at 1 million, others claim that the Persian army consisted of no more than 250,000), Leonidas and company did face laughably overwhelming odds. 300 recounts the country's finest hour. Spartans have long been heralded as the fiercest warriors the world has ever known, but it was at Thermopylae that they earned their eternal glory. Nothing is more epic nor inspiring than the tradition of the defiant David standing up to the all-powerful Goliath - Homer knew it (The Iliad); Leonidas knew it; Frank Miller knew it; and after watching 300, you'll know it too.

3. SUPERMAN THE MOVIE (1978): Richard Donner's adaptation of the most iconic superhero of all time (Spidey and Bats are phenoms, but the Man Of Steel is the big kahuna) is a fantastical story that gave viewers the sense that the story was actually happening - that one would believe a man really could fly. Sure, the effects have dated considerably since the near-30 years that Christopher Reeves soared around the globe (reversing time), but it still has a sense of scale that impresses.

4. X-MEN 2 (2003): Bryan Singer's second stab at the X franchise is the perfect comic book entree which is exciting (Nightcrawler's attempt to assassinate the President), moving (Wolverine's anguish over his past), topical (a feared minority starts global conflict), and intimate (Iceman's 'coming-out' to his family). This edition was smart, funny and complex... and hugely successful for Singer, which bodes well for us as he is responsible for Superman's return later this year.

5. SPIDER-MAN (2002): A by-the-book origin movie that invites viewers to journey with Spidey every step of the way, as he faces off with a giggling Green Goblin. Getting to see the softer side of Spider-Man (Peter Parker) hit such a chord with movie-goers that this film is still the highest-grossing superhero flick of all time.

6. SIN CITY (2005): It was only a matter of time before someone attempted a direct rendering of the bold framing of comic book panels to film. Robert Rodriguez partnered with SIN CITY creator, Frank Miller, in this neo-noir release to produce the most accurate adaptation of graphic-novel-to-big-screen that's ever been done. SIN CITY oozes with style and its black and white film only adds to the style-over-substance design.

7. X-MEN (2000): This was the first Marvel masterpiece which sees a team of mutant superheroes protecting the very people who fear them. Riddled with spectacular special f/x, X-MEN is a wonderful story that single-handedly relaunched the comic-book-to-film genre after Warner Brothers effectively destroyed it with the horrific "Batman & Robin."

8. BLADE (1998): Predating the Matrix's leather chic by a year, BLADE is a slamming slice of high-quality action, dripping with attitude and cool. We see a reinvented BLADE (from the comic book) as a vampire hunter with a serious penchant for kung fu - the opening scene, in which BLADE lays waste to a nightclub full of bloodsuckers, is a veritable classic!

9. SUPERMAN II (1980): A multi-layered, multi-toned movie in which Supes falls in love, faces his own mortality and takes on three evil Kryptonians, each as powerful as him. With these three sub-plots in the mix, SUPERMAN II should never have worked... not to mention the fact that director Richard Donner was fired with 70% of the movie in the can, and replaced by Richard Lester, known for his playful streak that by all rights should not have meshed with Donner's straight-faced Americana.
But it worked.

10. HELLBOY (2004): Monstrous, horned and sporting an arm made of solid rock, for all intents and purposes, HELLBOY is the antithesis of almost every superhero you can imagine (save for, possibly, Ghost Rider or Lobo... but most of you have probably never heard of him). He's the spawn of the devil, for one thing, which may be why this labor of love is so appealing - spooky, exciting and romantic. Yes, romantic.

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):

• The Road to Perdition
• A History of Violence
• V For Vendetta
• Conan the Barbarian
• The Punisher (w/ Thomas Jane)
• Ghost World

The Five Worst Comic Movies (in no particular order):

• Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
• Batman & Robin
• Tank Girl
• Dick Tracy
• The Punisher (Dolph Lundgren)
  

Sunshine

In the not-too-distant-future, the sun is about to peter out. A crew is sent to re-ignite it with a nuclear bomb; when they fail, a new team is sent to finish the job (seven years later). But they find that flying to the least hospitable place in our solar system and staying alive is no supersymmetric matter.

Although Sunshine is not on my list of 2007 potential blockbusters, this proved to be a dark horse in the realm of sleeper sci-fi thrillers. While most deep-space films aspire to create a fear of the vacuous dark, Sunshine will leave you afraid the sun.

Helmer, Danny (28 Days Later) Boyle, proves again that there is no film genre that he can't successfully tackle. His venture into the claustrophobia of spaceship living, aggressively hissing pistons, bellowing alert signals, and clanging corridors stretching darkly into certain doom, certainly resembles any number of iconoclastic space odysseys from the past. But this rendition veers from the archetypal patterns we've seen before of monsters hiding in cupboards, or indeed the dark - this time Boyle cleverly employs the provider of all life as our ultimate enemy - the sun.

Boyle casts an ensemble of recognizable, albeit modestly famous faces, that you'll recall with familiarity - Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Hiroyuki Sanada (The Last Samurai), Chris Evans (FF's, the Human Torch), Rose Byrne (the girl who beds Achilles in Troy), and Cillian Murphy (starry-eyed survivor from 28 Days Later) - but that suggest any one of them could kick off as soon as the mission goes pear-shaped. As they swiftly and spectacularly do.

Disaster ensues when the crew realizes that the ship they were sent to replace hasn't disappeared at all, but is simply bathing in the rays of the sun. And despite the fact that this kind of heroism almost never ends well in sci-fi movies, they set off to rescue, or at the very least, salvage it. The ensuing madness yields world-class, white-knuckle cinematic brilliance, and also reveals that there is nothing new under the proverbial (sci-fi) sun.

If the fast-paced action of the film ever gave you time to examine similarities to sci-fi movies past (which it categorically does not), you might find yourself thinking, "Ooh, that's sort of like Alien"/"I remember that from 2001"/"Man, that seems a lot like Event Horizon"/"Gadzooks, there's even a nod to Dr. Strangelove" (if your particularly pretentious). There's the noble captain willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good; the cowardly, unqualified second-in-command; a bit where the airlock malfunctions; lots of violently flashing lights, and an onboard computer that sounds like a patient but unhelpful self-help tape. None of these should spoil the overall enjoyment of the film, but it does beg the question, "Has the narrow genre of People Go Mad in Space reached its creative critical mass?"

Of course, you'll only have the opportunity to weigh such considerations after the credits begin rolling, because Boyle is far too busy wringing you dry of perspiration before that. I have long stated, based on my limited ability to assess such things, that developing a compelling conclusion is the toughest thing to do in film making. Sadly, this is somewhat true with this film as well. As the tension escalates and the bodycount rises, it appears that we're well on our way to a genre classic, but in spite of the intense build up, the finale leaves a bit of an enigmatic taste in your mouth (perhaps intentionally). The result is that an otherwise gripping film closes with a bit of a fizzle rather than an explosive sunburst.

McRating: 8.5

300

Honor. Glory. Duty. History. Gore... and Goat-headed Minstrels.

Of the 22 films on my 2007 (potential) blockbusters list, I've now seen three - and have decided not to see at least one of them (Smokin' Aces got Gigli-like reviews): Blood Diamond, a rousing and well-made film about the conflict diamond situation in Africa, Rocky Balboa, a touching tribute and fitting farewell to our favorite palooka, and now...

300, the latest adaptation of graphic novelist Frank Miller's creation based on the legendary Battle of Thermopylae. Championed by its makers as "Gladiator meets Sin City," the cinematic rendition of 300 is ferociously loyal to its bronze-and-crimson-colored graphic predecessor.
As Persian emperor Xerxes descends on Greece in 480 BC, the Spartan king Leonidas (played by Glasgow's own Gerard Butler), musters his army of 300, forbidden by custom and religion,
to Thermopylae to defend the "Hot Gates" against the vast invading force.

This opulent, brutal and bloody declaration of discipline and belligerence may be far removed from the reality of the actual battle (although some historians number the invading force at 1 million, others claim that the Persian army consisted of no more than 200,000), Leonidas and company did face laughably overwhelming odds. 300 recounts the country's finest hour. Spartans have long been heralded as the fiercest warriors the world has ever known, but it was at Thermopylae that they earned their eternal glory.

Cinematically, the film vacillates back and forth between classic Greek mythology and MTV's Headbangers Ball, complete with heavy metal accompaniment. Essential to the character's portrayal, Butler is convincing as a formidable leader of men, barking orders, smack-talking, inspiring confidence, leading from the front, and laying waste to several battalions' worth of the enemy. Leonidas - imperial, defiant, and lethal when provoked - may not be complicated, but Butler has every bit the conviction and charisma of [Gladiator's] Maximus Aurelius.

With all of its testosterone and bravado, director Zack Snyder does inject a little oestrogen by way of Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey). Although only glimpsed in Miller's graphic novel, Snyder extends her character in the film's rendition - never more so than in her heartfelt speech to the Spartan assembly (I'm told that theaters in the U.S. cheered at her slaying of antagonist, Theron).

Nothing is more epic nor inspiring than the tradition of the defiant David standing up to the all-powerful Goliath - Homer knew it (The Iliad); Leonidas knew it; Frank Miller knew it; and after watching 300, you'll know it too. You may not have the opportunity to truly connect with or care deeply for the noble warriors that lose their lives in this celebrated battle, but you'll have one helluva good time watching one of the greatest stories ever told.

McRating: 9.0

Blood Diamond - 8.0
Rocky Balboa - 7.0

2007 Blockbuster Movie Preview

2007 looks to be a banner year for the movie blockbuster. Some may not hold blockbuster status, but the battle lines for cinema supremacy have been drawn. The following listings are by no means locks, but here are a few flicks that have huge potential. The competition is fierce.

In no particular order:

1. TRANSFORMERS - Directed by Michael Bay
   
2. BLADES OF GLORY - Will Ferrell & John Heder... on ICE!!!
   
3. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT THE WORLD'S END - The original line-up w/ a few new faces
   
4. SPIDER-MAN 3
   
5. GRIND HOUSE - Directors Robert Rodriguez & Quentin Tarantino team up again to see "How far can too far go."
6. OCEAN'S 13 - "The movie Ocean's 12 should have been."
7. FF2: THE RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER
8. SHREK THE THIRD
9. HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX
10. EVAN ALMIGHTY - Steve Carell in the follow-up to Bruce Almighty. There's an ark, a giant flood and more animals than have ever been shot in the history of film making.
11. THE SIMPSONS MOVIE
12. LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD - the fourth in the series
13. THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
14. GHOST RIDER - Nic Cage with a flaming skull on a Harley from hell
    
15. I AM LEGEND - Will Smith in '28 Days Later' (basically)
    
16. AMERICAN GANGSTER - Denzel & Russell Crow teaming up with Sir Ridley Scott
17. THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES - Finally... Brad Pitt as the fastest gun in the West
    
18. BABEL
19. 300 - Based on Frank Miller's epic graphic novel
20. ROCKY BALBOA
21. BLOOD DIAMOND
22. SMOKIN' ACES