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Three Colors: Blue (Trois Couleurs: Bleu) (1993)
Three Colors: Blue (Trois Couleurs: Bleu) (1993)
1993 | Drama, International, Mystery
Look, I swear I'm not trying to be a buzzkill - but it's not my fault 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘵 (2011) was such a staggering masterpiece that it retroactively ruined most films which tackle the same sorts of subject matter for me. I can't deny how formally unique this all is, and I ultimately think that it mostly? semi? kinda? works in the end (the finale in particular is a bracing work of art - if only on the surface). But I also found a lot of this to be heavy-handed and/or pompous - including but not limited to those cheesy "MTV Jackass"-style fade-outs paired with the capable but intrusive score which get overused into oblivion. I understand that the feeling of detachment with itself is purposeful - and sometimes it leads to successful results - but I have the same issue with similar-type films like 𝘒𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘦 (which - to be fair - this is better than) where it gets so lost in its sea of purposeful ambiguity that it trades out substance for an artificial sense of mystery. And again, I get that this is all the point. Maybe this would have resonated better with me had I dealt with such grief as depicted here? Is this even for me? Maybe not, but even still this is home to some hard facepalm schmaltz in general. Another unpopular opinion while we're at it, this looks good in the beginning but after that it mostly really looks various shades of okay-to-bland imo. But I'm a sucker for nuance - which even in its faults this is in entirety - so sure, I'll take it. I definitely won't be forgetting it any time soon.
  
300 (2007)
300 (2007)
2007 | Action, Drama
There's a few Zack Snyder films that I genuinely like, and 300 is one of them. It's 100% style over substance, it's overly gratuitous in the sheer amount of slow motion, but it's pretty enjoyable.

Some of the shots are expertly crafted recreations of the graphic novel by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley, and as such, is a damn faithful adaption of a cult classic comic series.
The visual effects are stunning at times, and the sepia tone it's draped in lends a lot to its overall feel (even if it's a subject of criticism from many)

Gerard Butler takes the lead as King Leonidas of Sparta, in what has arguably become his most well known roll in the years following. It's easy to look over his thick Scottish accent (in ancient Greece...) when he's playing the character with such enthusiasm. Most of his lines have become highly quotable, even familiar to those who have never seen the film. 300 would be a much lesser film without his involvement.
Rodrigo Santoro carves a striking figure as primary antagonist Xerxes, his androgynous look and demonic-like voice providing a memorable villain.
The cast is rounded out by the likes of Lena Headey, David Wenham, Dominic West, and an early role for Michael Fassbender, a sturdy ensemble cast.

The set pieces are pretty thrilling, and results in a movie that blurs the fantastical, with a real life historic battle. It's an interesting mix that works well.

300 is a film that throws big sloppy buckets of testosterone at its audience, whilst simultaneously flaunting a silly amount of homoerotic undertones and CGI pectoral muscles, and it's great.