

So the 300 sequel should enjoy a nice opening weekend, and I think it'll get strong word of mouth from the audience it most needs to win over to be successful. Peabody & Sherman, 300: Rise of an Empire's only competition for the adult crowd (and the younger viewers likely to sneak into the theater for R-rated fare) is the Liam Neeson action-thriller Non-Stop in its second weekend. With the only other major release being the animated family film Mr. All of which is most true of 300: Rise of an Empire, as well as setting the bar pretty darn high for the future cinematic arrival of Wonder Woman - ah, but I'll get to all of that momentarily. And the truth is, there's no reason to love Jason and the Argonauts and not love the 300 series as well, because they're cut from the same cloth and they're all great cinematic entertainments - the main difference being, the 300 series has better acting, better attention to character development, and frankly better stylization and effects. Just a couple of days later, I saw 300: Rise of an Empire, the sequel to Zack Snyder's 2007 blockbuster sword-and-sandal comic book adaptation 300. It was effects-laden action/adventure popcorn fun, all style and spectacle in the best sense of the words. This was the first time I'd experienced the movie on the big screen, and the impact - especially seeing it as part of a double feature, along with Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves - was striking. I had the wonderful opportunity last week to see one of my favorite films from my childhood, Jason and the Argonauts, at the New Beverly Cinema.
