MATRIX

Was down at Cineleisure yesterday morning to catch the movie 300 with Trix, Damian & Miss Klein. The movie was visually stunning even though it was two-dimensional, black & white and of course blood red in color. It’s very arty - arms are severed like poetry in mutilation. Dreamlike, decapitated heads fly. Murderous rampages play out like balletic dances, the blood spurting artily in slow motion. The movie begins with an insight into the Spartan way of life. Newborns are judge to be robust or puny. It’s very sad that the losers are left to die in the mountains. It’s even more unfair that they don’t have the chance to live. They may not be warriors but I am sure that they can contribute to their country one way or the other. The babies that are deem worthy of sparing meanwhile live a life of brutalized childhood, handed over to the state to be toughened, punished, made to fight and finally left themselves in the wilderness against saber-toothed wolves – the making of children armies. Only the hardiest & bravest may call himself a Spartan.
In this movie, their war techniques are impressive but their fighting style is not as stylish as the Chinese Kung Fu but there are so many body fleshes to be seen – bronzed beefy men that flaunt their perfect washboard abs, pecs and biceps :) The ladies will enjoy it! The battle of Thermopylae where the Spartans clashed with the Persians was funny at times. It just that the King of kings; Xerxes has a collection of army freaks - towel-headed middle-easterners, masked ninja-like fighters, 10 foot tall Cyclops, machete-armed mutants, evil rhinos and stampeding elephants. Overall, it’s a simple story; the only memorable character is King Leonidas with his strong leadership approach – which all managers in the business world should practice. Nonetheless the fighting spirit of the Spartans, their loyalty, their commitment, their thing for the beautiful death – that is admirable. I love movies with strong characters. Strong characters always save a movie :)

We also met Rina Omar! Rina Omar! The cili padi host of ‘8tv Quickie’ and ‘Trippin’ was at the flea market at The Curve :)

‘Everybody’s at war with different things…I’m at war with my own heart sometimes’ – Tupac Shakur.