Troy

Okay, I got to shirk my family duties for a night (a school night!) and go see the movie Troy with a buddy.

Thoughts & Perceptions
Brad Pitt is one incredibly physically gifted man. His body movements were exceptionally fluid and precise. I was completely amazed at how well he portrayed the "perfect warrior". His form was exquisite, with balance, poise, precision, agility and strength. I'm sure clever editing and camera work contributed to his performance, but it was so convincingly well done that I chose to believe that he is really that good.

Favorite moment: The fight scene with Hector outside the City gates.

Least favorite moment: Virtually all the 2 hours and 37 minutes that was not the fight scene in front of the gate.

Well, I guess the flaming balls of twine were cool, and I liked the way the Trojans pushed forward to halt and repel the advancing Spartans.

Technical Problems: Nearly infinite problems with the story will set any semi-knowledgeable viewers teeth to grinding in this film. Not least of which that they must have read a different book than me regarding this 10 year war, conveniently repackaged into 3 days of fighting with a 12 day intermission.

Where did they get all the wood? Seeming an endless supply of nicely milled lumber for the funeral altars, but the Horse was made of scrap wood? Where did they keep getting all the fresh grapes?

Careless moment: Hectors armor is covered in sharp metal studs, which he must have forgotten when he hugged his alien headed newborn child goodbye(have you ever seen a Turkish baby look like that?), the baby was nearly skewered right there on the spot, and starting crying in real pain as the poor actress playing the wife tried to console the little pin cushion.

Cheesiest Moment: Orlando Bloom in another big epic costume production, shooting a bow. He was He was believable as the wussy prince in this, but he was far more enjoyable as a swashbuckler in Pirates. I'm looking forward to seeing him mature a bit ( I sincerely hope!) in Pirates II.

The second cheesiest moment was any scene with Helen (Diane Kruger). What a vacuum.

However, I really liked Hectors wife, played well by Saffron Burrows. I actually felt a twinge of emotion when her husband was being slaughtered by Brad Pitt in the scene at the gate described above. Virtually the only emotion I felt during the entire movie. Sigh. If they had left off all the Gigantic battle scenes and the pillaging of Troy and all the various filler scenes, and just made a drama with a few tightly cropped battle sequences with no more than a dozen real actors at any time, the movie would have accomplished something.

But for now, the door is still wide open for me, when I make it to Hollywood.