Views and Mechanics Publisher's Note Editor's Note Review of Lions at Lamb House Review of Jamestown Review of The Children of Húrin Review of The Politics of Life Film Review of "300" Creative Nonfiction Home By Marion Agnew One Foot and Then the Other By Greg Coykendall Poetry Hannah Plays with Light By Kristine Ong Muslim Caricature of an Early Planter By Michael Lee Johnson Comes a Push-Cart Down a Long-Ass Ghazal By Levon DeBranch Modern Day Moses By Bob Boston Squares (2) Plaza De Armas, Santiago, Chile By Graham Burchell Fiction The Larchmont Campaign By Zain Deane Body Warmth By Louise Kantro The Good People Up North By T.M. Spooner Triple Word Score By Patricia C. Meringer Texans Abroad By Franklin Strong Hunting for Manhood By Jason Sizemore Staten Island Zen By Michael Enright About the Contributors © 2007, River Walk Journal and respective authors and artists. All rights reserved. Do not use or reproduce without permission. River Walk Journal, Inc. Board of Directors Chairman - Elizabeth Ross Vice Chairman - Joseph Koch Secretary/Treasurer - Geri Stock-Ross Editorial Director - Patti Kurtz, DA Literacy Director - Kenneth Weiss, Ed.D Policy Director - PA State Rep. Jess Stairs Advisory Board Chairman - Patti Kurtz, DA Asst. Chairman - Dan Lachenman, PhD Samuel Hazo Christopher Leland Edwin Yoder Joseph Bathanti Journal Staff Publisher - Elizabeth Ross Editor-In-Chief - Joseph Koch Senior Editor - Patti Kurtz Senior Editor - Neeldhara Misra Copyeditor - Kathy Skaggs Blog Contributing Editor - Maggie Koster Education Blog Contributing Editor - Jordan Wirfs-Brock Publicity Director (PA) - Geri Stock-Ross For information about submissions, visit http://www.riverwalkjournal.org/subs.html. Questions about promotions, subscribers' services, and advertising should be sent to publisher@riverwalkjournal.org. River Walk Journal, Inc. is a non-profit corporation run entirely by volunteers. For information about volunteer opportunities and internships, visit VolunteerMatch. |
Film Review of "300" On the surface, Frank Miller’s new movie “300” looks like another testosterone-fueled action ride, leavened with plenty of “freedom is good, oppression is bad” rhetoric à la Mel Gibson's “Braveheart”. But there’s more. Sure, “300” has plenty of the traditional “guy movie” attributes. First, “300” is a frank (pun intended) treatise on just how lethal a stick with a sharp pointy end can be in the hands of a trained user. There’s a whole lot of blood in this movie. Really. A lot. However, instead of it just drenching the screen like a slasher movie, this movie’s blood tends to fly about in Rorschach-reminiscent patterns (on the camera lens too) that combined with slow motion look rather artistic. Blood is life, after all. The “300” can be seen as a study in contrasts; on one hand the film is a delight for fans of heaving, sweaty, male flesh, as well as heaving sweaty female flesh, there’s plenty of both, and it works well without being prurient, or debasing. But on the other hand, when you look at what all that heaving flesh is trying to accomplish in this film, it means much more than just sex appeal The “300” has something for everyone. There’s lots of action, lots of fight scenes, and lots and lots and lots of blood. This film has intrigue, uncompromising lead characters, larger than life good and bad guys, and political infighting, masterminded by a manipulator you’ll love hating, “300” is a beautiful period piece. Lush backdrops and textures compliment details that probably don’t mirror the ancient world in exactitude, but offer enough richness that the film is deeply immersive. There are excellent effects that bring the improbable to life, without looking “cartoony” while still showing broad strokes of beauty. Combat in this film is visceral and immediate, so “300” is not for kids, and should be screened carefully before use at the AP high school or college level only. This movie would be useful as an overview of ancient Spartan and Hellene culture, an introduction to the political divisions of the period before and after the Battle of Thermopylae, the battle itself, and most importantly an introduction to the ramifications of Thermopylae vis a vis the evolution of democracy, ancient, modern European, and the modern American version. A couple of the speeches were a bit long and obvious sounding, but all of the ancient Greeks valued oration, logic, and persuasion highly. This makes them useful for classes in public speaking, rhetoric and media classes. Students can see a modernized example of how the ancient Greeks went about getting their point across and persuading their fellows in order to influence policymaking for the Polis. Civics and character education classes can use this film to examine the obligations of the citizen of a republic (military vs. civil). The soldier fights for family, land and home. The civilian holds up the soldier, and makes sure that not just the land and the people, but that the society itself is worth bothering with, at all. Women’s studies classes can use this film to examine Queen Gorgo’s role as the King’s right (or perhaps left) hand as the diplomat, the pragmatist that paves the way for statecraft; but ultimately Spartan to her core, perhaps even more than her husband.. Gorgo’s actions are emblematic of the simple truth that without women society and culture cannot be at all. This movie made me want to go home and work out. Immediately. Not just because of aggression but also because the film is more than, “freedom isn’t free”. The “300” paints in broad, painful strokes what paying for freedom actually looks like. Joseph Koch |