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The majority of my blogs are now to be found on my myspace profile - the link is on the left hand side of this page. Here is the latest blog....

I watched 300 tonight. It is without a doubt of the best films I have seen in years. Truly awesome.

Ha ha, no big words or clever musings here. Just gut instinct and truth.

Ok so there are a multitude of films out there that tax your brain and dazzle your intellect. But every now and then you need a film that rouses your heart, stirs your spirit, and grabs you by the throat.

As a child, martial arts films gripped me, Enter The Dragon, Bloodsport, Kickboxer, and not forgetting the awesome Rocky movies too. But I had never felt anything so visceral and well, adrenalin-pumped (ha ha my words escape me) as the first time I saw Braveheart.

I remember it well. It was a Friday, or maybe a Saturday (ok, so I don’t it remember it exactly) – it was the Odeon in town, before it was all done up. 1995, I was 17 or 18. I went with my best mate (still to this day) Lubey, a brilliant fool called Guy, and maybe Derek was there I dunno (boy I wish I hadn’t boasted about my memory now).

We all sat amazed as what we saw on the screen unfold, the huge battles, the Celtic spirit – hey we’re Scouse, which is practically the English version of Celt anyway (conveniently forgetting Cornwall, *ahem*). When we left the cinema, we were pumped, amazed, full of blood lust, in an oddly pacifist way. Off we trundled to the Krazy House and duly rocked our socks off all night long.

Years would roll by until I once again witnessed, nay, felt such a strong connection from a film. The year, 2000. The film, Gladiator.

Alas, I didn’t even see it in the cinema, fool that I was. A year after university I was struggling to let go. The weekends, hell who am I kidding, every day saw me and my good writing buddies Dave & Chris drinking and writing all day long in the pubs of this fair city, only to drunkenly charm young students into signing us into the Student Union, for alas we did not have NUS cards.

One such event, they were having a showing of gladiator – a truly pointless exercise in a place of alcohol consumption, but there you have it, Britain. Watching the barbarian battle unfold over a haze of stale smoke and inane chit chat from the dweebs drinking their stupid coloured cocktails, I felt the hairs on the back of my head rise. Dave turned to me and with honesty and hell admiration in his heart, proclaimed, “You love this shit don’t ya?” God bless his insightfulness. I could but nod back.

It would take some time for me to see the rest of that film again, without the smoke and chit-chat.

Onwards I trudged, through cinematic gems and sludge. But my time waiting would be short. The year, 2001. The film, Fellowship of The Ring.

(nb)

Again, I found myself in the Odeon in town. Albeit the new and improved one. I was with John and Ste, it was an afternoon. I think Ste had seen it already. Knowing that he had, excited me.

I witnessed the single coolest scene cinema has offered in all its centurial glory. The hordes of orcs swarming en masse onto a line of Elvish warriors – it’s the battle of the 5 races of whatever it was, at the beginning of the film. As the orcs reach, the Elves attack in one fluid motion – like a primeval electro-dance – the axes or swords (gimme a break, it’s 2am) turning into attack one after the other. Dominos! That could describe it.

That whole film kinda went into a haze after that, the goofy grin on my face holding firm. It still is my favourite of the three. The battles may have gotten bigger, bolder, brasher, but nothing was as cool as that first scene.

So in my 30 years, I have witnessed 3 keys films of combat that have left an indelible mark upon my cinematic soul. I have seen thousands of films. Mostly on TV, video and DVD. Zulu, Spartacus hinted at the power, but the translation was lost on the small screen.

And so it comes to today. The place, the Odeon (though the one in Switch Island not town), the film, 300.

All the feelings I have no doubt failed to describe how I felt watching the films listed above – well this fucker beats em all.

The battle scenes are what you want from this type of film – carnage, brutality, and hard as nails men cutting not as hard as nails men to pieces. From start to finish, I was hooked. All I can say to those unlucky enough to have wasted your time reading this, go see the film, watch, enjoy…

And then ask yourselves, if this mere film can be so great, based on a comic book, and directed by a relative newcomer, if this film can, is, so fucking awesome, then..

Why oh Why – Troy?

Why oh Why – Alexander?

Why oh Why – Kingdom of Heaven?

(nb) couldn't find the bloody pic I wanted for Fellowship, this was the closest)