THIS IS SPARTA ELITE! If you were fighting for a reason to justify entering the realm of geek by attending Comic-Con 2007 in San Diego, then you can thank Deacon for giving you that reason.
It must be the year of the “themed 360″ as 300 fans who are attending Comic-con this year are in for two special treats. Warner Bros. will be hosting a special screening of the movie at Petco field for 6,000 conference attendees, all of whom will be entered to win one of ten (10) custom limited edition 300-themed Xbox 360 Elite consoles! Move over Homer and Master Chief because the men of Sparta are gracing the sides of the Xbox 360.
I really want to get my hands on one of these. Damn u Warner Bros. and Microsoft for limiting this to Comic-Con!
So you thought that E3 was the last of having events delivered to your consoles did ya? Shame on you for expecting Microsoft to let up on its Xbox Live Marketplace machine. San Diego’s Comic Con International will be treated to the same Bringing It Home campaign as we all experienced with E3 this year.
Beginning Thursday, July 26, Xbox 360 owners will be able to download a host of new themes, trailers and other goodies from Comic-Con. There’s mention of a 300 theme that I’m already making preparations to download. This is Sparta!
I’m really interested in more news about The Sarah Connor Chronicles as well as Superman Doomsday. Comic-Con International 2007 is the largest comic book and pop culture convention in the world, with over 120,000 attendees. Celebrating the best in comics, science fiction, fantasy, horror and pop culture, the convention features sneak previews from every major movie studio and network of their best TV shows, DVDs and movies.
I think we all need some good news today don’t we? Universal Studios is bringing my favorite television show to HD-DVD this August! I’m ready to see Sylar and Peter Petrelli face off in high definition (again). For those of you who haven’t been able to see the series in HD (NBC broadcasts Heroes in HD), you’re definitely missing out.
Many of you are twiddling your thumbs right now as the scheduled maintenance for Xbox.com and Xbox Live has begun. You’re almost to the finish line though! Between 6-7 hours from now, you’ll have your fix as the services should return then.
What do we do in the meantime?
Play offline. It does still exist ya know. Or if you didn’t get a chance to catch a few of Trixie’s recommendations, allow me to give you a few of my own U360 suggestions.
-Read my thoughts on Bullet Witch, Crackdown, 300 or glance at how I review games
-Enjoy the OXM interview and listen in on what the plans are for the magazine
-Listen in on Xbox 360 Elite rumors in Episode #30
-Catch up with friends in the U360 community message boards
-Learn more about Xbox Live maintenance and Xbox Live operations, with e’s Showcase
These are just a few additional things you can do while the maintenance is being done.
*edit - the maintenance is complete. Xbox Live and Xbox.com are back online.
I saw 300 last night and I figured I’d give you all a review of it and remind you of the Crackdown contest from Microsoft and Warner Bros. It ends on March 19 so be sure you get your entries in.
Director: Zach Snyder
Producer: Warner Bros.
Review:
300 is based on Frank Miller’s graphic novel about the 480 B.C. Battle of Thermopylae, where the King of Sparta led his army against the advancing Persians. Vastly outnumbered, the Greeks held back the enemy in one of the most famous last stands of history against the Persian King Xerxes and his army of well over 100,000. 300 is visually stunning! I wanted to start off with that to prepare you for something your eyes will thank you for seeing. The artistry behind the production was amazing.
King Leonidas, played by Gerard Butler, leads 300 of the best Spartan warriors into battle and begins what was truly a fight to see. His men fight to the death with their shields, swords and spears. They are one as Leonidas states…one well-formed fighting machine with each of them protecting each other at all costs. The battle begins and you see just how graphic the movie is but it’s done with such an incredible artist’s touch that it never seems over the top. The crimson red of the Spartan’s robes match that of the sea of carnage they create with literally mountains of enemies.
They encounter beasts, magic and immortals alike yet they stand strong against all odds; against the numbers that would stagger any ordinary warrior. The acting in the movie was decent enough to carry the film’s rage but not enough to get the audience attached to the characters in such a way that you felt their pain. It didn’t for me at least. There was hardly any character development outside of King Leonidas leaving you to hopefully know the history behind the battle to form your connection. Saying that though doesn’t take away from there being a general sense of emotion and panic which gives you a sense of hope that somehow the Spartans will prevail. I’m sure the women in the audience were pleased either way as all of the Spartans looked incredibly ripped. (this was intentional to bring realism to the warriors and how barbaric the times were)
In a special on HBO, the cast commented on how they trained six (6) days a week in order to look the part physically. They all did. I can’t say enough about the look and feel of this film. I recommend it and not because of the 70+ million dollars it took in this past weekend at the box office. It is an epic tale of strength, hope and no retreat. 300 is a must-see film! 4 out of 5 stars.
