All about entertainment

Dec 01 2009

Movie Review - Go Tell The Spartans (1978)

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GO TELL THE SPARTANS (1978) is a movie you shouldn’t worry about missing. It’s a Vietnam War movie that is totally outclassed by the worthy examples of the same genre like Apocalypse Now, Platoon or the Full Metal Jacket.

Why do people make trite and hackneyed movies like this, I’ll never now. And bona fide stars like Burt Lancaster probably get involved with such unforgettable flicks for one reason alone - they’re in a tight fix for some quick cash. Another reason does not come to mind easily.

Story in a nutshell:

An American Army advisory outfit in Vietnam headed by Major Barker (Burt Lancaster) is assigned a task for which it’s not ready: to go secure a Vietnamese village in the Vietcong territory.

The ragtag army of U.S. army misfits and their local south Vietnamese peasant contractors go and do exactly that, but not for too long. Eventually the superior and more disciplined Viet Cong forces inflict the same defeat on Barker’s forces that they’ve inflicted two decades age on the French.

The hard-shelled Barker is neither a hero nor a villain. He’s just a nobody. It is hard to identify with and root for a disillusioned aging Major who has no redeeming virtues except blurting out a lame “Shit!” every time the situation gets out of hand.

It is the tragicomic story of an ill-fitted army unit headed by an unhappy and cynical Major who was not promoted due to his unchecked alcohol and sexual habits.

The production values are a little better than the average high school stage play. A cheap movie with unlovable characters mouthing off hackneyed dialog and all roll towards an end that is as fresh as stale salami.

And of course the worst is the title itself. The epitaph “Go Tell the Spartans” that once decorated the tombstones of those Spartan soldiers who died while fighting the Persian armies at the battle of Marathon implies by association that we are facing the same kind of heroes here who have performed their duty well and with civic pride. The band of bumbling amateurs in this movie are anything but the Spartan warriors of the old.

Deserves barely a 2 out of 10.

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Ugur Akinci, Ph.D. is a Creative Copywriter, Editor, an experienced and award-winning Technical Communicator specializing in fundraising packages, direct sales copy, web content, press releases and hi-tech documentation.

He has worked as a Technical Writer for Fortune 100 companies for the last 7 years.

You can reach him at writer111@gmail.com for a FREE consultation on all your copywriting needs.

Please visit his official web site http://www.writer111.com for customer testimonials and more information on his multidisciplinary background and career.

The last book he has edited: http://www.lulu.com/content/263630

Tags: copywriter, editor, entertainment, films, hollywood, movies, review, technical writer, ugur akinci, writer

Dora the Explorer Show is Fun for Kids

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Kids in preschool love watching the Dora the Explorer show and watching her friends, Boots, Diego, Swiper, the Fiesta Trio, and her family, Mami, Papi, Abuela and Daisy. The show also features a number of animal characters including, Senor Tucan, Isa the Iguana, Benny the Bull, Big Red Chicken, Baby Jaguar, Tico the Squirrel, and the Grumpy Old Troll. Much of the show is based on following simple clues to find a lost object or to reach a goal, similar to the Blue’s Clues Show also shown with Dora the Explorer on Nickelodeon. Nearly everything in the show is likely to become a living thing, especially Dora’s purple Backpack which can give Dora a seemingly numerous amount of items from inside itself to help her along on her quest.

The show stays well within light hearted realms with the plotlines. You’ll rarely see an episode that can’t be resolved easily with Dora’s persistence and cleverness. Occasionally the character Swiper appears in each episode to take something from Dora and try to keep her from solving her clue and continuing on her quest. However Swiper is relatively harmless, even somewhat loveable which is shown in an episode where Dora helps Swiper when he gets into trouble.

On the show Dora is able to catch flying stars with the aid of Backpack and store them into the star pocket on backpack. The stars are almost always very happy to be put into the star pocket because it is really much larger on the inside than it appears to be. These stars have special powers that Dora can use to help herself get past various obstacles in her path.

There are several episodes of Dora the Explorer where viewers learn a lot about Dora and the characters past. In the episode, Dora’s First Trip, Dora remembers back to when she first met all of the characters. And on, Boots Special Day, it’s learned that Boots actually has two parents and he’s too young to go outside the house by himself.

Mrs. Party… Gail Leino is the internet’s leading authority on selecting the best possible party supplies (http://partysupplieshut.com), using proper etiquette, and living a healthy life while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Hut has lots of party ideas with hundreds of free coloring sheets, printable games, and free birthday party activities. Over 100 adorable Party Themes (PartyThemeShop.com) to fit your birthday celebration, holiday event, or “just because” parties is at the Party Theme Shop. Party themes include cartoon characters, sports, movie, TV shows, luau, western, holidays, and unique crazy fun theme ideas.

Tags: children, Dora, entertainment, explorer, fact, food, friend, fun, history, invitation, plate, theme, toy, trivia

Warner Breaks - Why Adults Should Have Fun Too!

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Hotel short break experts have a simple philosophy - grown ups should be having fun too! It is keeping this belief in mind when they created their innovative “Warner Breaks” which offer adults the very best in live entertainment, leisure activities and luxury accommodation - all at a fantastically competitive price. Its easy to see why people like to come back year after year.

Superbreak has been long synonymous with the short break hotel market and consumers can begin their selection by visiting superbreak Warner breaks and choosing their hotel. Here are just some of the great choices available;

The Bembridge Hotel - Isle of Wight: From the hotel’s glorious secluded vantage point, watch yachts cross the Solent before taking a dip in the sea (depending on the time of year of course!). Back on land, the hotel has 23 acres of beautiful grounds with famous Spanish Gardens that are ideal to explore in the light evenings. The hotel has extensive leisure facilities including a heated indoor pool, sauna steam room and fitness studio - just the thing before a night of fantastic entertainment.

Cricket St Thomas Hotel - Somerset: Star of BBC’s To The Manor Born, this Grade II listed manor house has its own wildlife park with over 600 rare species. Guests can enjoy the grace and beauty of this historic venue, set in the lovely Somerset countryside. Guests can enjoy great entertainment in the purpose built 430 seater venue, with its full-theatre sound and lighting. There is also the opportunity for guests to get active with tennis, archery or fencing.

Superbreak.com, incorporating Theatrebreak.com, is the internet division of Superbreak Mini Holidays Limited, the market leader for short breaks throughout the UK. Superbreak is part of Holidaybreak plc, a publicly quoted leisure company whose share price can be found in most major UK newspapers, or at Holiday break.

About the Author

Michael Hanna is a keen writer, and internet marketer living in Scotland.

E-mail: samqam@googlemail.com
Phone: 0131 561 2251
Michael’s Website: Belfast Airport Taxis