A Clash of Epics: 300: Rise of an Empire & Noah

A Clash of Epics: 300: Rise of an Empire & Noah

     After an intensely long hiatus from Petrozza’s Ladder, I have decided to test the waters once more after much coaxing from fellow film friends and aficionados. After about a year and a half of putting reviews of films on my facebook profile I figure it is time to resurrect this old thing and put it to fun use. So enjoy.

     What better way to kick off this blog again than to start with a pairing of films that fall under my favorite genre, ye olde Sword and Sandal Epics!! Today we have what can be known as nothing else but a Parallequel to Frank Miller’s 300 and a creative and bold retelling of a Biblical Legend. Both films in their own right have surpassed and created new definitions to the genre of sword and sandal epics through their overall style and creative liberties with history and legend. So lower your sails and raise your shields, for when both epics take place on torrid waters, there is bound to be adventure!

300: Rise of an Empire

     As many a reviewer will tell you, Hollywood’s history of releasing a good sequel or prequel to a franchise film is quite a fickle beast, often smashing profits on to the rocks; that being said, 300:ROE takes a different and compelling narrative route, so as to not alienate the first time watcher and to still excite the eager 300 fan. 300 and 300:ROE run on PARALLEL STORYLINES!

     In making this genius move 300:ROE was able to introduce a slew of new ideas and styles to the battle epic, while still maintaining the ‘artfully violent’ medium that everyone devoured in the original picture. 300:ROE takes us away from the battle-hardened city-state of Sparta and over to the capitol of archaic democracy, Athens, now under threat by the tidal wave of Xerxes's onslaught.

     Unlike the original 300 Spartans, the motivations and philosophies of the Athenian soldier vary from our expected testosterone-driven hoplites who kick people into holes. The lead character is a warrior and naval commander hell-bent on the protection of all Greeks from this foreign invasion. Knowing he has an army made up of farmers, militia, and tradesmen, he must take his battles to the sea and use guile to overcome the armada of the film’s, and in my opinion, one of Hollywood’s most awesome female villains in a terribly long time, Artemisia.

     Now let’s move away from any more info on that (because the movie will tell you the rest) and on to some of the artistic and narrative choices. In 300 we saw some intense saturation and sepia tones of reds, maroons, and blacks, as well as a great use of artistically texturing blood in an almost matte style. This lent itself beautifully to the original Graphic Novel style of hard shadows, gory fights, and intense close-ups. 300:ROE has kept much of the style but changed the palette to justify the Athenian and naval theme with cold blue’s and turquoise tones. As an added dynamic, we notice the blood is given  a glossy shine. Much of the film takes place on torrid, stormy seas so I suppose they thought it was appropriate; However, I was not a fan of the glossy blood effect, it made those slow motion death strokes a little distracting, almost as if the blood had a shiny bald spot, but that is a small detail.

     As for narrative, 300:ROE builds the tension of its story alongside the battle of Thermopylae, yet still gaining intensity on its own front as the Athenians face sword and fire on land and sea. The film lends a creative and dynamic contrast to the first film by taking the battle to the water, which I believe was a much needed move. Too many sword and sandal battles happen on land, the only exception being pirate films, so it is very refreshing to see the use of naval tactics mixed with romantically artistic face to face combat.

     As for casting, I thought all the choices were great, it is good to see some familiar, yet not too familiar faces grace lead roles in the film such as Sullivan Stapleton and Hans Matheson. This really helped in acquiring a mystery and organic approach to developing a character through audience discovery. That being said, the woman who stole the entire show was the deadly and beautiful Eva Green as Artemisia. For a long time I have been disappointed at the ill or clumsy use of female characters, especially the villains, but for some reason, every time Eva Green graces the screen with her intense gaze and seductive yet foreboding voice I cannot help but wonder why she isn’t in more films. Green really captures the pent up vengeance of a tortured soul with the ambition, mythos, and military mind of a Hellenistic commander. Her presence on screen is powerful, and not because of her muscles! She is shown to be very short and slender in the film, so much of the fear she instills is in her Napoleonic ambition and wrath. It is hard to explain perfectly, but to be quite honest, we’d all be in serious trouble if her and Darth Vader ever got married. 

     Before I finish this, there’s a sex scene that really takes Oscar Wilde’s quote on Sex and Power very literally, and it is a great scene.

     Overall, this film was brilliant entertainment, I would argue just as good as 300. As for history people bitching and complaining about inaccuracies, I’m just going to sit here and stare at you for a bit and enjoy how much pain you are in over a film mainly based on a comic.

Noah

     I can honestly say that a new type of alternative genre has been born through the making of this film. Darren Aronofsky has taken some great liberties on an age old legend and brought new light to approaching religious tales. The secret? Don’t look at them as religion! Look at them as creation stories, myths, fables and legends, passed down over centuries to the point that they have entered the realm of fantasy, and that is exactly what he did. Noah has melded the gap between religious epics and the fantasy genre in a creative and moving dialogue through the dark controversial realms of fire and brimstone and good God, bad God (well in the bible’s chronology, the other way around :p).

     The overall design, lore, and narrative had a wonderful hybrid of fantastical themes that I would like to coin as…..

Wait for it….

BIBLE PUNK!!!!

     Now hear me out, I know there’s bible punk music, but that’s not what I mean. In the fantastical styles of cyber, and steam punk there now needs to be room for another alternative style. A style which uses angelic light as a volatile yet useable source of energy, and where the elemental beings cast out by ‘the creator’ still roam the earth as a tribe of rock ents (pretty much). The film also shows a pangea-like world that is caught in a pre-apocalyptic limbo of Iron Age industrialism (check out those iron welding helmets!) and creationist (in a hippie kind of way) guardians. It is actually a tonne cooler than it sounds and the special effects are astounding, it is certainly the kind of film you want to see in AVX.

     As for casting, I was quite surprised at the choice of Russell Crowe; although I love his work I did not expect him to be cast in this role, but once the story takes off you can really see that gentle giant-meets-raging bull surface in all the right parts. Emma Watson is also in it, and of course she is great in it but the film does not revolve around her, as I was worried it might, but she plays an integral role in testing Noah’s moral grounds. An honourable mention also goes to the very quirky role of Methuselah who is played by Anthony Hopkins, and Ray Winstone who plays the animalistic ‘son of cain’ Tubal. Everyone played their part well and although the film does stretch a whole 2 hours and 20 minutes the change in stakes and plot intensity give it a very seamless flow.

     So if you want to see what Waterworld could have been like if it was written in biblical times and then plunged into a new alternative fantasy genre, you should check it out. It was quite an intense and heavy film, minus the happy and preachy attitude that old bible films took (which doesn’t mean I don’t like Ben Hur or The 10 Commandments, they are still spectacular and unbeatable in their genre).

Well, that was a mouthful for an intro back to Petrozza’s ladder! Be sure to comment, like, subscribe, and all that good stuff.

Christian A.V. Petrozza

    

"Let's Do Lunch" Los Angeles, Film School and Employment Reality

One of the greatest turn offs for most people when it comes to getting into the film and media industry is the intense competition...in ways this competition is a stigma that transcends tonnes of cynical students and interested parties who have not been able to get in, or, have not made the right effort.

During my first trip to Los Angeles this summer I had the opportunity to meet up with an industry worker who is in development at a major television production company (sorry guys, won't say who) over some nice dinner with them I was given the raw description of how competitive and cutthroat the industry can be when integrating. It involves long hours and extreme amounts of overtime and ambition. You need to love your work and be determined to get where you want to go. As a Canadian, it would pretty much mean little to have my PA credentials in my resume if I am applying in LA, they want people who know people, and who have worked and experienced their system......the *cue angelic music* THE STUDIO SYSTEM.

this does not bother me one bit.

I am a fan of the idea that as long as I can network and get my name out there enough, someone will eventually bite. You have to try everything, get a good position at a film festival as a volunteer and non-intrusively network (which means wait for their card, don't give them yours), or get into a film program in the united states in the big Two film maker factories: The New York Film Academy (Spielberg, Pacino, etc) and UCLA (Mr Lucas...need I say more?) and from there grab entry level jobs through teaching connections. Fresh, keen and able hands on set are always wanted and if you are determined enough to work your way up, you can have your shots at the big jobs.

After Touring Universal Studios and Warner Brothers I was completely flabbergasted to be passing and walking on the sound stages of shows like Ellen, Chuck, Big Bang Theory, and Two and a Half men, and see the recreated sets of the War of the Worlds, Jaws, and the lots of Spiderman, The Mentalist and countless others. Knowing that these worlds and characters can be fabricated as an industry of imagination blows my mind and entices me more to work my way to becoming a Hollywood film maker. I apologize to those filmies out there who love their independent and guerrilla film making ways, sticking it to the American studio 'Man', but I am a lover of the mainstream, trapped in an independent world.

Because of this an amazing friend of mine decided to kidnap me for a weekend and took me to the open house of the New York Film Academy. She wanted me to see the possibilities of working with real production tools and learn the ropes of starting my film making career. After taking the tour, hearing the programs, and the potential to study either in New York, LA, or half and half, I was pretty much bought on the idea of learning the competitive ropes of my art in the Mecca of Movies, and because of that trip, I feel I have found my escape.

Many are intimidated by the cameras, lighting, and technicalities of being in film school, but learning by experimentation and careful instruction is a great way to start, and that is what you do in film school. What you gradually learn in a field over months or years you learn in weeks. If you are creative but not very technical or vice verse, they fill in the blanks and sculpt you into a creative and technical film maker with the actual tools of the trade, from 16 and 35 mm to HD.

Never hold back because it is too expensive or too hard, work an extra job and take a year to film and build a portfolio, apply for film school, volunteer, ANYTHING....just don't give up.

Because if you do give up, you give someone else a chance, and every time you see a bad movie, you will know you could have made one better. Hahahaha, well, maybe not the best guilt trip phrase but you get the picture.

Stay tuned for my upcoming blog on scoring and shot organization which will include some behind the scenes leaks of FDNN

Christian A.V. Petrozza

FDNN, Long Hiatus, and Upcoming

Hello Internet World and fellow readers.

During the summer I went on a blogger Hiatus without any due warning which I understand is a faux pas for my own promotional integrity. Although that may be the case, there is plenty that will be in store for you in the coming weeks.

Fuzzy Days Noir Nights has gone through a tough patch in which there has been little to no dedicated interest in volunteers to promote, foley record, voice act, and edit for. Which means that once again I am a post production one-man team. ON A GRAND NOTE though, I have potentially recruited an amazing friend who is a musical prodigy to play with some original score ideas. Having an original score for a project for the first time would be a great step forward and I couldn't ask for a better candidate to step up to the challenge. Because of these delays Fuzzy Days Noir Nights release will be posponed until further notice, but I will be updating during every blog a short blurb on its progress.

UP and COMING events!
As I edit for the show I am aslo doing the finishing touches on a music video for another friend for his song Too Much now on halt until i have a better grasp on my webseries, but I intend to get back to it in the near future. Soon I will be doing online research on one of my new favorite topic "the bluray reality debate" and a current local phenomenon in my house "the dropping of cable for download space" as well as some details about my trip to Los Angeles over the summer as i visited Warner Brothers and Universal Studios. As far as movie reviews go, there will probably be an Avatar Extended Edition issue I'll put out just before its release. until then, I'll be better at writing up these blogs for all of you. So stay tuned and take care

. Christian A.V. Petrozza

Hollywood Endings

It rains, and he stands there shouting her name up to the heavens from the street level.

She looks into his eyes on a foggy tarmac in Morocco
"but what about us?"
-we'll always have Paris
She flies off in a plane, never to see him again.

She urges the taxi driver to go back. Enters the English cottage and sees him there, a rare sight, tears streaming down his face. They look at each other, and are inseperable.

I really could go on about all the great Hollywood endings old and new there are. Some are sad but many promise the future of finding the one thing we all look for. Personally, as a lover of Romantic films and a firm believer in Hollywood endings, there is no reason why we shouldn't aspire to reach them in our actual lives.

We are surrounded by a culture of pessimism and faithless objectives engulfed in monetary agendas. What is wrong about wanting and aiming to become what you always wanted to be, and falling in love? Nothing is wrong with it. Here is why.

Hollywood films show the great lengths you must go to reach those goals, the heroes are never given an easy ride, much like all of us in our lives. Whether it is a dream job or a girl they pursue their passions and dreams despite all obstacles and adversaries, they fight through an odyssey of emotional, physical, and financial crisis. One thing is for sure, in the end, when all is said and done, they are a changed person for the better, and they lived fully. When one comes to such an epiphany such as myself, I realize I have held myself back from my Hollywood ending, because even when i get there I will not be finished. The search for love is a long perilous one, the journey for the job and life of your dreams is a great quest.

In order to achieve both of these, you need to create your own montage, find every moment to spend towards fixing your wrongs, winning a heart, and gaining the fame. You may have to go to hell and back, and then once more for good measure, but when you resurface from the real world, bearing the scars of your frustrations, abuses, self-doubt, and lifelessness, you will realize how proudly they look on you as you walk into the limelight screaming victory, walking back to the one you love in the rain. A Film is Two Hours on average, think of how short life is... it flies like a good film, make sure it ends well!

For all my friends, readers, and loved ones
Christian A.V. Petrozza

Fuzzy Days Noir Nights Trailer.

Hello Everyone,

So Here it is The Fuzzy Days, Noir Nights Trailer Exclusively on Vimeo and This blog until I fix my formatting issues. I will do my best to fix it as soon as possible, but the trailer alone still does the show justice. Let me give a quick synopsis.

After a traumatic case, a big city P.I. Richard L. Plante, exiles himself from Toronto and moves to the small municipality of Brenford, a place full of farmers, developers, and wealthy townsfolk. Although he wants to do nothing but drown his sorrows in whiskey, he cannot help being drawn in to another case.

This is a Film Noir mixed with small town mystery, or as I like to put it, murder she wrote starring Humphrey Bogart.
ENJOY!

Trailer - Fuzzy Days Noir Nights from greenknight44 on Vimeo.

Problems Problems Problems, but some cool news.

I would like to start by explaining my long hiatus from my own blog. A few weeks ago before 345 ended one of the facebook widgets I applied to this page was a scam and became a redirect hack to my blog, I did not discover this until weeks later, an amateur mistake, but I'm still relatively new to this so give me a break.

I have also been arduously working on 3 grand projects which involve a lot of extra curricular time, which is what this blog was supposed to take up. I was eventually swallowed by my work. Unfortunately group work in fourth year film is not all its hyped up to be. Organization is can be a definite virtue sometimes and take note, is essential if you are getting into the film and media business, none of this 'go with the flow, we'll figure it out as it happens BS'. That's another thing, best always to be straight forward with people, or you will find things get passive aggressive very fast.

On the side I have been waiting on a potential job opportunity at the Mekkah of moviemaking, so I am keeping my fingers crossed and my cell phone on. Don't abuse it!

So besides making movies, going crazy, realizing I have a 3000 word paper due the same day as a 10 page screenplay (of course Prof X thought it would be fun to tell us it was 3000 words only a week before it was due. Thanks tips) everything is ok as long as my newly acquired SNES emulator keeps providing me with some brain-melting enjoyment upon the occasion I have an ioda of time to spare.



I will soon be posting another blog once this week is over so do not fret, I shall return with more interesting things to tell you.

Christian A.V. Petrozza

The Rain of Realism: Gaming crosses into Hollywood Borders

A Special Thanks to my Friend and housemate Charlie for bringing this game to my attention.

Ever wish you could watch a movie and interact with it through it's characters? Kissing the girl, punching the villain, or interrogating the tough suspects?

As of February 23rd a game by Quantic Dream by the name of Heavy Rain was released. Labeled as a Film Noir thriller (my favourite) the game immerses you into a film-like story, taking you on an interactive ride as several characters as they try to figure out the mystery of the oregami killer, a merciless and mysterious child murderer.

Now you must be thinking "aren't all video games interactive?" well of course, but the game's graphics and style as you will see in the trailer and review videos approach the gameplay and cinematics as completely immersed into one another. Many games limit your movement or improve graphics during cinematics before they switch back to the gameplay. The design of the game allows you to play with the most detailed and consistent graphics to date, almost bordering photorealism, and with a great soundtrack and compelling mystery I find it very hard to call it a videogame instead of a movie.

The nature of the movement-sensored gameplay and controls during the game do not take away from the camera positioning or cinematic techniques that are simulated in the game. Some reviewers wonder if this cross-over between cinematic storytelling and gameplay together is a watershed moment in video game and film technology.

If in a few years we are able to be part of our favourite movies by "playing them" would it be a cool new improvement? Or should we keep a healthy barrier between Hollywood and our ever evolving games?

I don't know about the rest of you, but I wouldn't mind fighting as russell crowe while watching Gladiator or Chasing a bomb maker through Madagascar as Daniel Craig in Casino Royale.


Christian A.V. Petrozza

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Comedy is in Brevity: That Guy With The Glasses Goes Viral

An online film critic and founder of the "(Film) in 5 Seconds" internet phenomenon, That Guy With The Glasses (TGWTG) has made countless movie lovers, and haters come together in laughter at the spoofed and satirical renditions of films in their shortest form. Of course these films are either summarized in the most critical but comical manner but at the same time summarizing their value in their visual and stylistic aesthetics and poking fun at them by leaving most of the plot out.

The video below is one of his videos on Amadeus, a critically acclaimed film with an elegant and stylistic aesthetics. Instead of embracing them, TGWTG decides to use only the parts in which Mozart cracks his most contagious and nerdy laugh (which he does often in the film) and end it with his abrupt and gritty death. This struck a huge chord for me because upon first seeing the film and reflecting upon it those were the parts that I remembered, and like many others I nodded at my computer screen and thought That's pretty much the whole movie.

Since his videos became viral, many people have made other "5 Second" summaries of films not yet done, often crediting TGWTG in the very abrupt and quick end credits.

This culture of re cutting or critiquing a film through its key themes, or elements of style and script which could make it funny has also led to the internet phenomenon of re-cutting films into genre-specific trailers. 10 Things I Hate About Commandments (Based on Footage from Heston's The 10 Commandments) is an absolute favorite and prime example of how movie lovers engage in post-production activities to pay homage and have fun with their favorite good, or bad film.

Christian A.V. Petrozza




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First Post!

Hello Blogger! I am Christian Petrozza a competitive fencer, independent film maker, and film major. Since I have recently been injured and reading week is coming up, I thought I would begin re-posting some of my old blogs from the other Blog I write on Transmedia TV. I will also be posting some new content as well once all my blog posts have been re-enstated on this site. On this blog I will look into popular media, technology, the sport of fencing (the best sport evar!) and mostly my defence for films which I enjoy but critics hate, which has been the case soo many times before, pretty much since siskel died. I hope you enjoy my posts, interests, and the occasional anecdote or experience.